The Treasure Hunters' Tale
by Cielita
Summary: The saga continues! The next generation of treasure hunters moves up to take on the challenges of a seemingly endless array of lost treasures. Chronologically follows "The Greatest Treasure of All" and "A Treasured Legacy".
1. Treasure in Plain Sight

**The Treasure Hunters' Tale**

**Chapter 1**

**Treasure in Plain Sight**

"No, that's not an option!" Ben said sternly a he paced with the phone in his hand.

"I am sorry, Dr. Gates. The board of investors is leaving me no choice in the matter," said the man on the other end of the phone. Fritz Higgins was the curator of a museum in Dubai that specialized in biblical era artifacts. A month ago, he had hired Will to go in search of the infamous mines of King Solomon, a feat that even his father and grandfather had not dared to attempt. Eager to prove himself and use his newly acquired degree in archaeology, Will had accepted the challenge. He wasn't alone on this new expedition, either. Abe, Meri, Jamie and even Cristina had tagged along for the ride. Cristina, the lone woman on the journey, had wormed her way onto the expedition team by producing "Widget", a terrestrial exploration robot that she had designed and proudly built from the ground up as part of her master's program in robotics. Widget was equipped with speaker and microphone equipment, cameras, agile all terrain wheels and two independently functioning arms with which to interact with the environment. What really made Will agree to take Cris along was that Widget could be controlled from a remote interface—meaning that Cris could stay in the safety of a vehicle above ground and still control Widget and communicate with the boys. Cris had pitched a fit over this, demanding that they not treat her like some pitiful damsel in distress, but in the end, as it usually goes with the Gates boys, Will won. All of this whirled through Ben's mind as he listened to the curator state his reasons for his unexpected decision.

"I'm not the one you're going to owe an apology to," Ben said.

"We lost contact with the research team three weeks ago," Higgins continued. "We have no choice but to declare the expedition a failure and the team lost…I am—whether you believe me or not—very sorry, Dr. Gates…I know..."

"You don't know my boys," Ben growled, slamming the phone down into its cradle. Abigail was standing in the doorway of the study when Ben mopped a hand down his face and then turned to meet her gaze. A fine tremor was making Abigail's hands shake even as she clutched them in front of her and her knees were growing weaker with every second of her husband's silence.

"Ben…" she murmured, "what's happening?" Ben crossed the room to the doorway and folded her into a hug.

"Where are my boys?" Abigail asked, her voice thickening with emotion.

"Higgins wants to declare the expedition lost," Ben replied. "It's been three weeks since anyone's heard from them."

"Oh, God, Ben," she whimpered softly, sniffling through tears that were falling against her will. "What am I going to tell the girls?" Will, Abe, and Meri's pregnant wives had taken up residence with Ben and Abigail when the boys left town bound for the Middle East. With their due dates so near, Will wouldn't hear of them being alone while they were gone. Charlotte had begged Meri not to go—her due date was to come first—but Will was his best friend and her twin brother, and he had joked that someone had to bring Will and Abe back in one piece.

"I don't know, honey," Ben said softly, holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head. "All I know is that I have this gut feeling that they're okay…that Higgins has really underestimated what Will can do."

"I hope you're right," Abigail said just as softly through her tears. "I really hope you're right."

***

"Cris? You still with us?" Abe teased, patting the robot's little head.

"If you pet her one more time I'm going to use her little arm somewhere you're not going to want it, Abe!" Cris' voice grumbled through the speakers.

"When we find this treasure—and we ARE going to find it—I'm going to rub it in the face of that arrogant son of a bitch back in Dubai," Will growled.

"Now, come on," Cris said.

"It's his fault we've been out of communications for three weeks!" Abe cried. "The maps he gave us lead us around in circles for the first week and half of the equipment has *fried* in the desert heat!"

"It makes me nervous not to be able to communicate with home base," Meri added. "What if Charlie goes into labor? I could be becoming a father at this very moment and I wouldn't even know about it."

"It could just as easily be Janie or Emily Anne," Jamie countered and Abe rolled his eyes. Jamie's contribution on this journey was as a record keeper. His journal of findings and sketches would be part of the report they turned in at the end of the expedition along with audio and video files supplied by Widget.

"Please, don't remind me, okay? This was only supposed to take a week and a half and we've been out here twice that," Abe grumbled.

"Let's not get hostile, boys," Cris interjected, trying hard to be the peacekeeper. "There's another stone door up ahead. Sonar and telemetry looks good from my end. As usual, proceed with caution, gentlemen."

Will and Meri pushed the massive stone door aside slowly and then allowed Widget to roll ahead of them into the room, the search light on the top of her head blaring brightly into the space. Seconds later, Cris squealed and shouted, making Widget's speakers clatter, "Come quick! Come quick! You have to see this!" The boys bounded into the room, illuminating it with the torches they carried. Awe-struck seconds later, there was raucous laughter as the boys threw their arms around each other and cheered. Before them, lay miles of tunnels and catacombs, all glittering with veins of silver, gold, and jewels.

"We were right!" Will screeched, embracing his little brother.

"No! *You* were right!" Abe countered, turning to administer a playful hug to Widget, complete with a big sloppy kiss on Widget's video receiver, making Cris laugh out loud. After gathering samples and documenting everything they could see, the jubilant treasure hunters followed Widget back out into the mine shafts that had led them here. It was trickier to get back than it had been to get in, but the boys were too happy to care. It would take them another three days to return to Dubai.

"We're here to see the curator. I'm sure he's expecting us," Will said gruffly to the receptionist. Without a word, the frantic little blonde, blue eyed woman fumbled for the phone and called the curator. Will could hear that he was telling her that he was in a meeting.

"Is he blowing us off?" Will asked. "Is he in some sort of meeting? Is it with the investors? Oh, I hope so…" Will brushed past the desk, waving for Cris, Meri, Abe and Jamie to come along. The startled receptionist tried to follow them, stumbling on her high heels and trying to beg them to wait, but Will had had enough of waiting.

Will and his team walked into the conference room, still sunburned and dust-covered and went straight up to the curator, dropping a small rock sack of their samples onto the shiny polished surface of the table. The youngsters waited for the grumblings and murmurings to quiet and the shock to wear off the curator's face before he finally spoke.

"King Solomon might have hidden it, but he didn't hide it near well enough," Will said simply.

"What is the meaning of this? How dare you come in all of this ruckus!?" Higgins demanded.

"Ruckus?" Jamie said. "You had us turning circles for a week looking for that mine!"

"Impossible!" the curator sputtered.

"The equipment you provided for us wasn't adequate for the weather conditions. Most of it failed on us within the next week after that," Will added. "If I hadn't brought some of my own, we'd have never made it."

"That equipment was state of the art material provided by top engineers," Higgins cried.

"With all due respect, your top engineers need to go back to freshman year," Cris said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Come on, guys, let's go," Will said, resting his hand on Cris' shoulder as they all turned to go.

"Where are you going? I need documentation! I need reports on your findings!" the curator cried.

"It's in your email," Meri said, turning and giving the curator a wicked grin. "Or don't you check that, either?" Without a reply, Curator Higgins simply watched the youngsters leave. His face was burning red as the eyes of his investors bore into him, silently demanding an explanation for his actions.

***

Ben Gates mopped his tired brow a day later. He could still hear the water running in the kitchen as Abigail finished the dinner dishes. All three of the girls had eaten with them, but none uttered a word other than 'thank you' before retreating to their respective rooms. They hadn't taken the news of the team's disappearance well. Afraid for the well-being of their unborn children, Abigail had suggested bed-rest for them and unfortunately, they took her a little too closely at her word. Other than to eat their meals, the girls had taken to their beds nearly round the clock and the silence was wearing on poor Ben near the end of the fourth week since he'd last seen his sons.

Abigail joined him as he stared out the tall windows in the great room minutes later, wrapping her arms around him from behind, laying her head against his back as Ben covered her hands with his. Thirty seconds later, Abigail trembled and then started to cry. Ben's face fell in sadness and he turned to pull Abigail more properly into his arms. She clung to him and sobbed, letting Ben coax her to sit down on the sofa with him as she cried.

"I can't take it anymore!" she wept, her breath coming in ragged, gasps for air. "I can't take the silence! I can't take not knowing where they are! Even if they didn't make it, I want them back—I want them where I can see them! I can't stand not having an answer for the girls! I just can't!"

"Shhh…" Ben said softly, rocking her a little in his embrace. "It's going to be okay, Abigail. We'll hear something soon, honey…it's going to be okay."

"You don't know that!" Abigail cried, pulling free of him. "You don't know any better than anyone else does!"

"Abigail…" Ben started but then stopped at the sound of a key in the front door. He stroked her hair and kissed her cheek before getting up and moving to find out who was at the door. Other than his own children, only Riley had a spare key to the house, and they weren't expecting him.

When Ben emerged into the front hall, he stopped in his tracks when he looked up to find five people he didn't expect to see again nearly so soon.

"Oh, my God!" Ben gasped, unable to keep tears from gathering in his eyes as his boys threw themselves into their father's arms. "You're alive!"

"You didn't really think one little mine shaft was going to keep us down, did you?" Will teased. Ben smiled wryly at him and then laughed, hugging Will once again before embracing Meri, Jamie, and Cris.

"Your parents are worried stiff," Ben told them. "You guys need to—"

"Who's crying?" Meri demanded. "Is that Charlie?"

"No…," Abe said. "That's mom." He and Will jogged the rest of the way to the door of the great room before stopping, taking a breath and then slowly approaching their mother, who still sobbed into her hands as they covered her face. She was crying so hard that she was having a hard time sitting up, and leaned into Abe's arms without looking up when he sat down. Will quietly knelt in front of the sofa just out of reach right before Abigail spoke through her hands.

"I want my boys back!" she wailed, barely pausing to catch her breath. "Ben, I want them in my arms…I want them back…" Abe and Will exchanged a look that held a son's guilt for making his mother cry and then Ben spoke for them.

"It seems someone's answered our prayers, honey," Ben said, patting Meri on the back again. Abigail was still drawing a shuddering breath when she looked up and finally saw that it was Abe who held her and not Ben. She looked up at him in speechless shock and then turned to see Will when he gently touched her knee.

"It's okay, mom," Abe said.

"We're home now, mom," Will added. "You don't have to cry anymore."

Abigail threw her arms around her sons, smothering them with kisses that only a mother could truly get away with. Her tears slowly dried as she shakily stood and reached for Meri, her son-in-law, and then Cris and Jamie.

"Oh, God," Abigail murmured over and over. "Oh, God, I'm so glad you're all right!"

"You really had us scared, Will," Ben said, squeezing his oldest son's shoulder.

"We were scared for a while there, too," Will replied.

"Anyone seen my wife?" Meri quipped.

"Yeah," Will said. "Where are the girls?"

Abigail told them about the self-enforced bed rest and ordered them all to go upstairs that minute and greet their wives, an order that each of them cheekily grinned at and immediately complied with.

Meri knocked on Charlotte's door and waited for her response. When none came, he knocked again and finally Charlotte called out, "Leave me alone!" Meri sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and listened for a moment—she was crying. With this, he carefully opened the door anyway.

"With all due respect, I asked—" Charlotte stopped mid-tirade when she looked up and saw who was at the door. She immediately tried to get up, impeded by the large swell of her belly and Meri cried, "No! Stay there, I'll come to you!" He sat down on the edge of the bed and drew Charlotte into his arms as she burst into fresh tears.

"Where have you been?" wept Jane as Abe cradled her in his arms. Jane had actually made it up off the bed before Abe could object and had silenced any request for her to get off her feet with the sound kiss she issued him before she could utter the question of his whereabouts. Abe hungrily returned her kisses and intermittently stroked her belly as their child kicked inside her.

"Paying for our children's college educations," Abe said, producing an uncut diamond the size of his fist.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Emily Anne half wept, half grumbled into Will's shoulder as he held her, stroking her long blonde hair and covering her face and head with kisses. She clutched his shoulders, nearly refusing to let go as he answered, "You know me better than that…I'll always come for you." Emily Anne finally laughed and sniffled back some of her tears.

"I do know that," she murmured. "But knowing that won't keep me from worrying about you, Will Gates."

"Yes, Mrs. Gates," Will quipped back, enduring her good-natured swat at his shoulder in order to kiss her again. After all of the team had been duly greeted, the team made stops at the Pooles' and the Bonners' homes to greet and reassure Riley and Jacqui, and Jacob and Nadya, as well as to drop Jamie and Cris off at home before Will, Abe and Meri returned to spend the night with their patiently waiting wives. It was good to be home.

END


	2. Tiny New Treasures

**Chapter 2**

**Tiny New Treasures**

"Meri, Meri, Meri, Meri, Meri, Meri, Meri." If Charlotte's chanting hadn't managed to wake Meri up, her persistent shaking of his shoulder certainly would have.

Stifling a grumble of annoyance, he rolled over to look at his wife, rubbing the sleep from his green eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I think our baby has decided to come," Charlotte explained, managing a small smile.

He stared at her in incomprehension for a moment before he realized what she meant. "What? Now?"

"Babies don't care what time of day it is when they want out," she reminded him with an annoyed look.

He held up his hands and slid out of bed, quickly getting dressed. "Right, sorry. I forgot: don't argue with the pregnant lady."

"Just get the car, Meri." She waved him off when he moved to help her up. "I'm not completely helpless, you know."

Smiling fondly, he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I love you, Charlie."

"I love you, too, Meri." She kissed his cheek in return. As he turned to go, she swatted his rear with a grin. "Go get the car!"

Laughing, he turned and caught her up in his arms, kissing her warmly. She gasped in the middle of the kiss and he _felt_ her stomach muscles as they tensed. Meri carefully set her on her feet. "Okay, getting the car now."

"Good!" Her laughter followed him out the bedroom door.

As Meri started down the hall to the main stairs, he was surprised to meet Abe and Will, both looking rather sleep-tousled and worried. "What's up?"

"Jane and Emily Anne both went into labor," Will explained as Abe blushed and glanced away, hurrying down the stairs. "I take it Charlie did, too?"

He nodded, wondering at Abe's actions even as they followed him down. "Yes, and she was very firm about me not helping her."

"Let me guess: just go get the car, I'm not completely helpless?" Will's voice was dry, but his blue eyes were twinkling with amusement.

Meri nodded again, laughing. "Of course. We're talking about Charlotte here."

"Did we want to take all three cars?" Abe interrupted as they reached the ground floor, sounding a little annoyed. "Or fit all three ladies into the van?"

Will and Meri exchanged glances, wondering at Abe's mood. He was usually the most light-hearted of all three of them. That's why he and Jane got along so well. At a gesture from Meri, Will answered for both of them. "I think we can all fit in the van."

"I'll go get it, then." Abe vanished out the door, just as his father appeared at the top of the stairs.

Ben pulled his robe belt tight around his waist as he descended the stairs towards his son and son-in-law. "Will? Meri? What are you doing up at this time of night."

"All three babies decided they wanted to meet us tonight," Will explained, beginning to look more excited and awed than worried. "Abe's just gone to get the car."

A slow smile spread across Ben's face. "That's wonderful news! I'll go tell your mother."

"Thanks, Dad." Will and Meri watched as Ben turned and went back up the stairs.

At the top, he met Charlie and hugged her. She returned the hug and carefully began to descend the stairs. When Emily Anne and Jane appeared, Ben repeated the process, finally disappearing as Jane started down the stairs. When she reached her husband's side, Emily Anne wryly commented, "I take it he knows?"

"Of course!" Will kissed the tip of her nose. "After he tells Mom, he'll call both of your families and let them know."

She nodded and rested her cheek against his chest, right over his heart. Charlotte was tall enough that her cheek rested on Meri's shoulder instead. Jane looked a little lost until Will held out an arm to her. She gladly nestled against his side as they waited for Abe to arrive with the van. They only had to wait a few more moments before the front door opened and they filed out to the waiting vehicle.

* * *

The Pooles were the last to arrive at the hospital, having the farthest to go to get there. The moment he entered, Riley made a beeline for his best friend. "How is she?"

"They're all still in labor as far as we know," Ben replied, not needing any clarification as to which 'she' Riley meant. "We haven't heard anything about complications."

Jacqui slipped her arms around her husband's waist, hugging him gently. "She'll be fine, Riley. She has Abe and the pregnancy hasn't been any different from what I had while I was carrying the girls."

"I know, but I can't help worrying." Riley patted his wife's hands, smiling faintly when his two other daughters slipped their arms around him, too.

Jacob reached over and patted his brother-in-law's shoulder. "All three are strong women. You have nothing to worry about."

At that moment, the doors opened to admit three young men looking very dazed and awed. Will was the first to speak. "I have a daughter."

"So do I." Meri added.

"And me." Abe finished."

Smiles of delight appeared on everyone's faces. Abigail asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to. "What are their names?"

"Danielle Marie Gates." Will looked fit to burst.

Meri was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Rachael Ann Bonner."

"Mary Emily Gates," Abe finished with a sad, proud look.

The three families surrounded the new fathers with congratulations and well wishes, asking for details about the babies and the new mothers. Will and Meri answered the questions readily, bragging about their daughters. Abe remained quiet, gradually easing out of the crowd and going over to the window to look out at the pre-dawn.

Abigail noticed her youngest standing alone and walked over to talk to him. "Is something wrong with Mary, Abe?"

"It's my fault," he told her in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the view out the window. "She wasn't supposed to give birth for at least another month, maybe two."

His mother rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort and reassurance. "Abe, even with all the advances in medicine, we can't accurately predict when a baby will be born. It just happens."

"No, you don't understand, Mom." He shook his head vehemently. "It's _my fault_." He turned to look at her, blue-gray eyes guilty. "Janie was having a nightmare, thinking we hadn't come back after all." His voice was full of worry. "I woke her up, but she needed reassurance that I was really there and forgot for a moment and, well, took things too far--"

He stopped there and turned back to the window, his shoulders slumping. Abigial stared at him, processing what had happened. They had all assumed that the stress of the last four weeks, followed by the sudden release of tension had prompted the three expectant mothers to go into labor. None of them had considered that the labor may have been triggered by something else! Quietly, she asked, "Did you tell the doctor what happened?"

"Of course, but no one else except for you." He rubbed his eyes. "Mary's so small and the doctor isn't completely certain she'll make it."

Abigail squeezed his shoulder. "She's a Gates, Abe. She'll prove everyone wrong."

"Just like Dad and Grandpa?" Abe asked with a faint smile.

She nodded, smiling back. "Just like them."

"Thanks, Mom." He hugged her tight, burying his face in her hair. The scent of her shampoo had always calmed him when he'd been a little boy and scared to go back to sleep after a nightmare had woken him.

She returned the hug and gave him a nudge back towards the doors. "Go check on your wife and daughter now. I'll let the others know."

"Don't tell them my part?" he almost begged. "Just tell them she's a little small?"

Abigail squeezed his shoulders reassuringly. "You have my word. Now go."

"Yes, Mom." Looking a little more like himself, Abe saluted and disappeared back through the doors, gaining curious looks for Abigail.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to answer their questions without giving away her son's secret.

* * *

Mary was the last of the three girls to leave the hospital. Aside from being rather small, her lungs hadn't been fully developed, so she'd had to stay longer than either of her cousins. Though this worried her parents, it was actually a blessing in disguise because it gave them time to prepare her room, something they'd planned on doing during her last month in the womb. Thankfully, they'd already bought the furniture and needed only to decorate the room. When Mary Emily Gates came home on her one-month birthday, it was to a room ready and waiting for her.

That same afternoon, Abigail found her husband standing in the great room, staring out the windows with a troubled look on his face. Slipping her arms around his waist, she rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I miss them, Abigail," he murmured, covering her hands with his. "While the last week of their stay wasn't great, the rest of it was nice and I enjoyed having them around. It's kind of weird and lonely for just the two of us to be here."

"Your parents' house is vacant right now," she pointed out quietly. "We can let one of the kids have this one and move into theirs."

He nodded and brought her hand up to kiss the back. "I've been thinking of doing that already, but it's not the only thing bothering me."

"What else, then?" Abigail moved to stand in front of her husband, tilting her head back to meet his eyes.

Sighing, Ben ran a hand through his thinning hair. "I miss treasure hunting, too. I'd have loved to go on that hunt with Will, but there's nothing I could do to help. I'm more of an expert when it comes to water-based treasure."

"There's a lot of ocean to explore," she reminded him with a smirk. "I'm sure there's something out there that you could find."

He smiled, reaching up to comb his fingers through her hair. "That _we_ could find."

"Mmm, we." She tilted her head into his caress. "I like the sound of that."

"Me, too." He dropped his head to give her a kiss.

Moaning softly, she returned the kiss, winding her arms around his shoulders. Even though they were both getting on in years, their love and passion hadn't waned in the slightest. If anything, it had grown deeper and stronger with every passing year. Abigail could hardly remember life without Ben and treasure hunting and she wouldn't have it any other way.

**End Chapter**


	3. Treasure Without a Trace

**Chapter 3**

**Treasure Without a Trace**

****A month later****

Will Gates settled into his oversized, stuffed armchair and sat back into the cushions with a one liter bottle of Mountain Dew and the remote control. The home he shared with Emily Anne and their new baby wasn't as grand as the one his parents shared, but it was enough for them and the family they were planning to raise. He turned on the television to the channel that it seemed it almost never left—the history channel—and watched without really paying attention. He heard rather than saw his young bride, Emily Anne, approaching and entering the room murmuring to the bundle she held against her shoulder. Baby Danielle Marie Gates was wrapped in her soft pink blanket and grunted softly as she gummed her bitty fist in response. Will looked up at them as they entered and smiled. Emily Anne returned the grin, but she knew from that look that her husband's mind was miles away.

"What's wrong, Will?" she asked gently as she patted the baby's back.

"Dad's been calling every Friday as long as I've been living away from home. Today he didn't call," Will replied softly. Emily Anne shifted the baby to cradle her in her arms and then said, "Maybe you should call him. Just this once." Will nodded, still staring off at the T.V. Emily Anne's grin widened.

"Here," she said playfully. "Hold your daughter for a while so that I can go and get some piano and violin time in tonight before bed."

"Sure," Will said, opening his arms so that Emily Anne could lower the baby into them. He looked up to tenderly kiss Emily Anne before she left the room and then lightly kissed the top of his daughter's head as she snuggled down into his arms.

As soon as Emily Anne was out of earshot, Will dug his cell phone out of his sweatshirt pocket and spoke quietly as he dialed.

"Should we call Grandpa Ben tonight, huh, shiny eyes?" Will said, grinning as Danielle stared up at him and the phone in his hand. They both listened as the phone rang and then went to voicemail. Will left a brief message and then hung up, setting the phone on the arm of the chair and shifting his weight to get more comfortable. A second later, Danielle sneezed, making a mess of her little nose and mouth and making her father laugh as he reached for the spit up cloth to clean her up as she fussed. As soon as the disaster was averted, her fussing ceased and she latched onto one of Will's fingers after he turned off the T.V. so that they could listen to Emily Anne playing her violin in the other room. He loved it when she played Celtic music…he could almost see her dancing as she played…

***

Will's cell phone played a tune what felt like minutes later, jolting him out of a sound sleep. The spasm of motion woke the baby and she cried as Will grimaced and answered the phone.

"This is Will," he said, hoping that it wasn't something official.

"Everything okay?" Abe asked on the other end, holding the phone an inch or two from his ear as his niece screamed.

"She was asleep and so was I," Will retorted, awkwardly getting out of the chair to walk with the baby and still keep the phone between his head and shoulder. "What's up, Abe?"

"Did Dad call you tonight?" Abe asked, concern evident in his tone.

"He didn't call you either? Did you talk to Charlie?" Will asked, taking a breath as he noted that Danielle was calming herself.

"Yeah, and she hasn't heard from either of them for a week," Abe said.

"This isn't good," Will said, returning to his chair with the baby.

"You're telling me," Abe said, running a hand through his curly blonde hair.

"What are we going to do?" Will said. "We've all got babies at home and spouses that would kill us if we did anything without them."

"Aren't you jumping to conclusions a little?" Abe said. "I don't know about you, but my first reaction was that something could have happened and one of them is in the hospital or something."

"I guess with our family history, I didn't even think of that," Will said.

"If it makes you feel any better, Charlie said the same thing," Abe laughed.

"Any number of things could have happened…what are we going to do?" Will asked.

"Janie and I are going to go over there right now to see if they're all right or if they're even home. We'll keep you posted," Abe said.

"Sounds good," Will said, hanging up the phone again. He looked down at Danielle and her little eyelids drooped heavily. She was falling asleep again—thank goodness. Emily Anne emerged into the room, setting her violin on the table behind the sofa before coming to them and lightly stroking the baby's head.

"Everything all right out here?" she asked.

"Abe called. My folks aren't answering their phones and neither of them has called him or Charlie either," Will explained.

"You don't suppose they went out on some treasure hunt and didn't tell anyone, do you?" Emily Anne asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm glad someone else jumped to the same conclusion as me," Will chuckled. "He and Jane are going over there now to check on them and he said he'd keep us posted."

"All right. Are you two doing okay out here?" Emily Anne asked. "Dani was screaming for a little while there."

"We were both startled when Abe called. I must have nodded off," Will said sheepishly. Emily Anne laughed and kissed the top of Will's head.

"Oh, honey," she chuckled. Will used his free hand to reach up and catch Emily Anne's head to bring her back to him for another kiss.

"I'll show you 'oh honey'," he grumbled good-naturedly, kissing her again.

***

"Mom? Dad? Anyone home?" Abe called as he and Jane arrived at Ben and Abigail's home. "We brought your granddaughter!" he teased. Jane was carrying a car seat baby carrier with tiny baby Mary snuggled inside it fast asleep. She followed Abe carefully, minding all the steps and side-stepping decorative sculptures and thick glass cases containing well preserved artifacts from their myriad adventures.

When they arrived in the study without having received a response to their greeting, Jane set the carrier down on the floor at the foot of the couch and joined her young husband on the other side of the desk as he examined the documents and objects scattered upon it.

"Find anything?" Jane asked.

"I don't know," Abe muttered, squinting at a series of scans. They depicted very old looking letters written in a language that neither of the youngsters understood.

"Is that Japanese?" Jane asked. "What's in Japan that your parents would run off after and not tell anyone?"

"It just doesn't make sense," Abe said, slouching in his dad's desk chair and resting his chin on his hand. Jane spent a couple of seconds looking through a book that had been left resting on the desk top before their daughter made her presence known by starting to cry for attention. Abe automatically rose to go to the carrier and pick her up and Jane sank into the chair with the book still in her hands just as automatically. Abe returned with Mary against his shoulder, patting her back gently.

"Anything yet?" Abe asked, peering over his bride's shoulder.

"I'm not sure," Jane said, wrinkling her brow in thought. "What's Yamashita mean?" Abe suddenly offered his wife the baby commandeered the chair at the same time.

"No…no, no, no, no," Abe said, frantically searching the desktop for confirmation of his wife's statement and of his own fears. Jane's eyes widened.

"Abe, what's wrong?" Jane asked, murmuring softly to Mary to sooth her fussing. Baby though she was, she knew something was up. Jane watched as Abe produced another book and showed her the illustration.

"The sunken treasure of Yamashita…52 ships laden with thousands of tons of gold plundered by the Japanese armies that General Masahira Homa supposedly had buried in Bacuit Bay. Grandpa Pat tried to go looking for it once when dad was a kid and nearly got himself killed. Grandma Em had been so scared for him that when he came home she was crying and she actually slapped him…then caved in seconds later and kissed him senseless," Abe recalled, he and Jane both sporting a grin. Abe turned serious a second later and pulled out his cell phone. He tried both of his parents' numbers again without success before calling his siblings, beginning with his big brother Will.

"Will!" Abe cried, shuffling through more papers.

"What's wrong? Where are you?" Will demanded, shifting the phone to the other ear.

"We're at mom and dad's. Will…their after Yamashita," Abe said gravely.

"Aw, shit…" Will said, running his hand through his short dark hair. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. The literature is all here. Does Emily Anne read in Japanese? There's a lot of stuff here that I can't read and it might give us some insight."

"I don't think so, but I'll bet she knows someone who does," Will said. "Have you talked to Charlie yet?"

"No, but she's going to flip, so I'm not exactly looking forward to it," Abe said.

"Let me call her. I spent nine months letting her kick the crap out of me in the womb and then another twenty-odd years letting her kick the crap out of me growing up. Today's no different," Will replied. Abe laughed.

"Okay, captain courageous. She's all yours," Abe teased.

"Watch it, honest Abe, you're next," Will teased back.

"Will, do you think they're okay?" Abe said after a second, suddenly serious.

"…I hope so," Will said before he hung up the phone.

***


	4. Parental Treasure

**Chapter Four**

"Damn!" Charlotte cursed when her cell phone rang just as she was tip-toeing out of Rachael's room after putting her down to sleep. The noise woke the baby and she began to wail. Charlotte grumbled as she pulled the phone out of her pocket, recognizing the call from the ringtone alone. "Will, I am so going to kick your ass for this."

Meri appeared just moments later, frowning with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Will called just as I was leaving Rachael's room," Charlotte explained, holding up her phone. "Could you calm her down while I answer the phone?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Of course, my love."

"Thanks, Meri." She smiled up at him and flipped her phone open, scowling. "This had better be good, Willy!"

Her twin's serious tone and lack of annoyance at the hated nickname did much to soothe her ire. "It is, or bad, depending on how you look at it."

"What?" She felt her heart seize in her chest as she started for her study. "Have you heard from Mom and Dad?"

She could almost see him shaking his head in unconscious reply as he answered her query. "No, but Abe went to their house and looked through Dad's desk."

"Dad'll kill him if he finds out Abe did that." Her lips quirked slightly as she remembered how their father insisted that his messy desk was actually an elaborate filing system.

"Not if he dies while he and Mom are looking for Yamashita's gold." Will's tone was deadly serious. "I don't suppose you know Japanese?"

Charlotte maintained her composure with difficulty. This was not the time to break down and cry. "I only know a few characters. Your wifie-kins would be the best one to recommend an expert translator."

"I'm going to ask her, but I thought I'd ask you, too," Will answered, ignoring her quip. "I need to call Uncle Jacob. Abe's calling Uncle Riley. We'll keep in touch."

They said their good-byes and Charlotte stood silent for several moments, staring at the dark phone in her hand. "Charlie?"

"Oh, Meri!" She spun and buried herself in her husband's arms, giving vent to the tears that had been building at the backs of her eyes. "Mom and Dad are missing!"

* * *

Riley groaned against Jacqui's lips when the phone rang. "Whoever that is has horrible timing."

"We could ignore it," she suggested, trailing her fingers down his chest and stomach to his belt.

Tempted though he was, he still shifted enough to check the caller ID. "It's Janie. She wouldn't call this late if she didn't have a reason."

"You're right." Jacqui reluctantly shifted off her husband's lap so he could answer the phone and focus on the conversation.

He caught her hand in his while he picked up the phone and she leaned against his shoulder as he put it to his ear. "What's up, Janie?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Dad, but have you heard from Uncle Ben?" Jane's voice answered, sounding very worried, something that was not typical for his middle daughter.

Glancing at Jacqui, he slowly shook his head. "No. Ben hasn't called recently. Why do you ask?"

"He hasn't called Abe, Charlie, or Will, either," she explained and he could just picture her fidgeting with a lock of her hair. "So Abe and I came over to see if we could figure out what was going on and we found a reference to Yamashita."

"Shit!" Riley sat straight up, startling Jacqui. "Ben told me about that, said Patrick almost died and Emily slapped him, right before kissing him."

He could almost see Jane nodded. "That's pretty much what Abe said. He tried both their numbers and got no answer. Maybe you or Cris could try getting in touch with them."

"Why do you think we'd be able to manage it if Abe couldn't?" Riley took Jacqui's hand and kissed it silently.

Jane made an exasperated sound that was more reminiscent of Charlie than anyone else. "You two and Uncle Jacob are the computer nerds. You can do things with computers and cell phones that we mere mortals would never be able to comprehend."

"You're the programmer, though," he reminded his daughter despite his pride that she acknowledged their abilities.

This time Jane snorted derisively. "It does me absolutely zero good if I have nothing to program in the first place."

"All right, all right, we'll come up with something." He kept his voice soothing, recognizing the signs that his daughter was about to be very cranky if he didn't do something. "Lucky for us, we keep our GPS tracking software updated."

He just knew she was smiling the sweet, adorable smile that reminded him so much of Jacqui. "Thanks, Dad. Love you!"

"Love you, too." He hung up the phone and sighed.

Jacqui sat up, studying him worriedly. "What was that about?"

"Ben and Abigail have apparently decided to go after the Yamashita treasure," he told her, catching her hands and kissing the backs.

Her green eyes widened. "Isn't that the one Patrick promised Emily he'd never go after again?"

"Yep, that one." Riley ran a hand through his hair. "Why did Ben have to choose _that_ one?"

Jacqui rolled her eyes. "This is Benjamin Franklin Gates we're talking about, Riley. When has he _ever_ gone after easy-to-find treasure?"

"Good point." He smiled ruefully and kissed her forehead. "Remind me to call your brother in the morning."

She smiled and kissed him, lightly teasingly. "Call my brother in the morning."

"Smartass," he murmured, kissing her back.

Smirking, she took his hand and placed it on her breast. "_Your_ smartass."

"Mmm-hmm!" he cupped her breast and deepened the kiss, lowering her onto the bed. The phone rang at that moment. "Oh, hell!"

Jacqui giggled and reached over to pick up the phone. She didn't recognize the Caller ID, so she hit the 'mute' button and pulled her husband into a deep and hungry kiss.

Luckily for them, the phone didn't ring again that night.

* * *

Jamie answered the phone the next morning when it rang at the Bonner residence. After listening for a moment, he nodded, "Yeah, just a minute." He carried it into the sunroom, where his parents were busy feeding each other breakfast. He cleared his throat to catch their attention. When they looked at him, he held the phone out to his father. "Sorry to interrupt, but Uncle Riley wants to talk to you, Dad."

"Thanks, Jamie." Jacob accepted the phone and put it to his ear. "What's up, Riley? You still treating Jacqui all right?"

Nadya swatted his shoulder playfully. "As if he would treat her any other way."

He grinned and caught her hand, kissing the palm. His smile quickly faded in response to whatever Riley had said. "How long have Ben and Abigail been missing?" Mother and son exchanged worried glances and watched Jacob intently. "They've gone after _that_? Why?" After a moment, Jacob laughed ruefully. "Good point." He listened for several moments and opened his eyes very wide, almost melodramatically pressing a hand to his chest. "You mean our darling children actually _want_ our help?" The dramatic expression and pose vanished just moments later. "As if there was any question I'd help. Where did you want to meet?" Jacob nodded. "Right, see you then. 'Bye!"

"What's going on, Jacob?" Nadya demanded the moment her husband hung up the phone.

"Ben and Abigail are missing," he explained, proceeding to sketch in the details Riley had provided. "Janie wants Riley, Cris, and I to work together to come up with something that will help us find them."

Jamie grinned despite his worry about the fact that his adopted aunt and uncle were missing. "No one can beat you at the computer wizardry."

"Thanks, Son." Jacob smiled fondly at his youngest. "I'm going over later to meet with them and figure out what we're going to do."

Nadya took his hand and kissed the palm. "I'm going with you. Jacqui and I can fetch and carry for you if nothing else."

"It'll be nice just to know you're nearby," he agreed, stroking her cheek.

Jamie cleared his throat, showing a typical teenager's embarrassment when his parents got too mushy. "You'll let me know if there's anything I can do, right?"

"Of course." Jacob grinned and got up to pat his son's shoulder. "Between you and Mary, I think we'll be set in that regard."

The sixteen-year-old nodded, brushing his tawny blond hair out of his brown eyes. He wished there was more he could do.

**End**


	5. Treasure in Southeast Asia

**Chapter 5 **

**Treasures in East Asia**

"I've told you, we have a treasure seeking permit, we're American, we were hired by…"

"I've heard enough of these lies!" a short Filipino man shouted in Ben's face. He was dressed in military garb and for the third time, he'd interrogated Ben about why they came to find these two Americans in the waters around one of the most popular islands in the chain known as the Philippines. He didn't seem to believe Ben that they were not spies or looters, and this was the second day that they were both imprisoned for no reason. Ben had tried to ask for permission to call the man who hired them to locate the treasure so that he could corroborate their story, but the authorities refused. The round-faced man before them had their ID's and their passports, sneering at them and assuming that they were fake. Ben had finally had enough. They had been questioning both of them together until now, and Ben was uneasy about what the guards and other military men could do to Abigail if he was not there to defend her. Ben's fear was suddenly calmed by the fact that they really had not broken the law—why should they be afraid?

"Why should I talk to you anymore? I've already told you what I know and why my wife and I are here. Our papers are in order according to your laws. You have no reason to keep us here," Ben said evenly. A scream in the near distance brought Ben to his feet only to be slammed back into his chair by the men who stood until now against the wall behind him.

"I swear to God if they hurt my wife…" Ben growled.

The man raised his hand to strike Ben but stopped when another similarly dressed and decorated man entered the room and spoke quickly in a native language. The interrogator responded in kind and then wiped his hand down his face before composing himself and looking at Ben. He said nothing, but narrowed his eyes and then ordered the men to return him to his cell. Ben was silent as they roughly dragged him back to the row of dingy prison cells and three guards emerged from it before Ben was pushed inside. The third of them was cradling his hand and gave Ben a disgusted look before spitting on the ground in front of him. The door was bolted and Ben hardly turned around before a force knocked him to the ground. Ben recovered his bearings and discovered this force was his terror-stricken wife.

"Abigail!" he gasped, hugging her tightly as she clutched him close to her. "What did they do? Did they hurt you? Did they touch you?"

"I'm not hurt…they tried to touch me and…I think I broke someone's hand," Abigail weakly recounted. "The other two were holding my arms down and I kicked at him and caught his hand. Ben, I'm so scared! Why are they still holding us?" Ben worked them up to a sitting position against the furthest wall from the door and pulled Abigail into his lap.

"I don't know. They have our documentation so we can't leave the country without them knowing…they won't call the Hawaiian Historical Society to verify our story, and I don't know what else to do," Ben said, kissing the top of Abigail's head.

"What day is it?" Abigail asked. Ben glanced at his watch, one of the only valuables that was not taken from him when they were taken into custody.

"It's Saturday..." Ben mumbled, rubbing his face. Abigail grabbed his hand to get his attention and met his eyes.

"If it's Friday in the States…honey, you haven't called the kids," Abigail said.

"I can't help that, Abigail. We're in an East Asian prison," Ben lamented.

"Don't you see? They'll worry! They'll figure out that something's wrong and they'll look for us. We didn't tell anyone we were going because we weren't allowed to, but if the kids get to your desk and they can figure it out from the information you left on it…" Abigail left the thought open so that Ben could fill in the blanks in his mind.

"They'll figure out what we were working on and they can look for us," Ben muttered, looking at Abigail in surprise. He really hadn't thought that the kids would worry that much about one missed phone call.

"You really think they'd think that far ahead? To go to the house and check on us?" Ben asked.

"These are our kids, Ben. If it had been your mom and dad, would you have worried about them? Abigail countered.

"For the record, my dad got slapped for even attempting to find this treasure," Ben replied.

"Yeah…right before he got unbelievably lucky. Focus! Our kids would come looking for us, Ben, and you know it," Abigail said. "I'll bet that they even called Riley and Jacob and they're organizing a search as we speak."

"I'm sure you're right," Ben said, tightening his grip on Abigail. "I just hope they put two and two together fast!"

***

"What's wrong?" Patrick asked Emily after the two had spent time reading to one another while lying in a large hammock. Emily's expression had suddenly soured, and she carefully sat up.

"Something's not right," Emily murmured. "I'm not sure what it is, but something's not right."

"That's pretty hard to do considering where we are, love," Patrick teased gently.

"I know," she replied. "That's what concerns me."

"You don't think it's the kids, do you?" Patrick said after a pause.

"Call it a parent's instinct, but I think you're right," Emily said, waiting for Patrick to sit up before they both got out of the hammock and returned to the house. Emily went through the house straight to a window that should have overlooked the front yard. Instead, as Patrick and Emily discovered not long after Emily arrived, it showed them their family and allowed them to view the goings on as if they truly were nearby to see it.

"No!" Emily cried, unable to tear her eyes from what she was seeing.

"What is it? What happening, Emily?" Patrick asked, coming to stand behind her at the window. Emily turned and buried her face in his chest and he held her as he glanced out the window to see a concrete jail cell, and his son and daughter-in-law seated on the floor, mussed and dirty from their time there, clutching one another close in fear.

"What's going on?" Emily mumbled. "Where are they?" She was too afraid to turn around again.

"Dear God…tell me they weren't foolish enough…" Patrick said, hugging Emily tight.

"What?" Emily demanded. "Foolish enough to do what?"

"Do you remember my trip to Japan to find—"

"Yamashita's hoard? You warned him about that!" Emily growled. "We both did!"

"I know, darling, but apparently history is repeating itself. Where do you suppose our grandchildren are in all of this?" Patrick replied.

"What I want to know is where Riley and the others are! Where were they when Ben and Abigail were getting thrown into some filthy prison?" Emily said, starting to cry. The image changed and it was morning in Washington DC. Clouds made the sky gloomy and gray, and thunder softly rumbled while rain fell onto the thirsty ground. Out of the house they were looking at came a baggage-laden Riley with Jacqui on his heels. Their youngest daughter was following steps behind, nodding while her parents conveyed orders and she seemed to be texting or recording the information into her phone as she walked, carrying a backpack of her own. The image changed again and this time, the Bonners were the ones leaving the house, at the same time, carrying not quite the amount of bags that Riley and his family did, but they were packed for a trip all the same.

"Where are they going?" Patrick thought out loud. Emily finally composed herself and looked as the image rotated twice more to show that Will and Charlie and their families were also on the move. The last time the image rotated, it showed Ben and Abigail's home, and an anxious Abe staring out the rain-splattered window.

"Something tells me that help is on the way, Em," Patrick said softly, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. "Dry your eyes, now, love."

"I hope they can get to them soon!" Emily whispered.

***

"Staring like that won't make them come any faster, Abe," Jane said softly. She was sitting on the sofa in the great room with baby Mary in her arms, a big pink blanket covering Jane from her shoulder all the way to her lap as the infant nursed.

"I know, I'm just worried is all," Abe said. "Looks like the rain is letting up."

"That didn't last very long. Strange, isn't it?" Jane said.

"When we were little, mom used to say that it rains when the angels weep. You think maybe grandma and grandpa know that something's wrong? Maybe grandma knows that dad's in trouble and she's crying for him?" Jane smiled at this romanticism.

"Maybe you're right. She must know that we're all going to be looking for them and that's why the rain stopped so suddenly," Jane rationalized. Abe crossed the room and sat down on the sofa beside Jane, softly kissing her lips.

"Thanks, honey," he said.

"For what?" Jane asked with a smile.

"For being patient when I'm being silly," Abe said.

"It's not silly to think of the loved ones who have gone before us or to imagine that they still play an active role in our lives. It's not silly because it's true. Our experiences with our families shape everything about us, so it's fair to say that even though they're not with us physically, that they will always influence us," Jane explained. "We all loved grandpa and grandma Gates…and we'll always miss them." Abe wrapped his arm around Jane's shoulders and briefly hugged her before the first of several knocks on the door forced him to get up and go to answer it while Jane put little Mary in her carrier and put her shirt back in order before the others arrived in the room.

Greetings were brief and the family descended on the den, setting up computer equipment and focusing on what they knew and figuring out what they didn't. It would be an hour and a half before all of the computers were up and running and the wireless internet connection kicked in to connect them to the rest of the world.

"Confirmed!" cried Charlotte as she and Emily Anne looked up from Ben's desk and a handful of notes in Japanese and in English. "Mom and dad are after the Yamashita treasure."

"How did you figure it out?" Riley asked them from behind his laptop. "I thought neither of you spoke Japanese."

"We don't. We pieced enough of it together from internet translation databases and what we had in English," Emily Anne said.

"Sounds good to me," said Jacob, peeking around the monitor of his own laptop. "Way to go, sweetie."

"Thanks, dad," Emily Anne blushed.

"What's this?" Will asked, pulling a letter out from under the stack in front of Charlotte.

"Don't mess those up! I haven't gotten to those yet!" she hissed.

"This is from the Hawaiian Historical Society," Will said, scanning the document. Riley immediately began searching the internet for information as Charlotte dug through the pile to find out if there were any other letters from the same place or person.

"What do they want and why the secrecy?" Emily Anne asked, peeking around Will's arm.

"Secrecy?" Abe asked.

"If mom and dad were on a treasure hunt, you can be sure they'd be so excited they'd have told all of us that they were going and they wouldn't have gone without Uncle Riley or Uncle Jacob and their mad-crazy computer skills if they had had a choice," Charlotte answered in nearly the exact words that her twin would have used.

"You have a point," Jacob said.

"Where is this supposed treasure?" Nadya asked, wandering into the room with her granddaughter, baby Rachael, snuggled against her shoulder.

"The story goes that during World War II, the Japanese army looted and pillaged and generally ransacked various places, hiding the gold as they went along, thinking that the gold would finance Japan's war effort. After the war, all of the people who knew anything about where the treasure was hidden, or if it had been moved, were killed or executed for war crimes by the allies. There are speculations as to where it is or what became of it, but now no one knows for sure," Meri said.

"Wow…" said Jacqui, sitting down in an oversized chair.

"Yeah. Definitely wow…" said Jamie. "What was Uncle Ben thinking?"

"What do you mean?" Will asked defensively.

"I don't mean it like that. I just mean, let's think like Uncle Ben for a minute here. I mean, Grandpa Pat got *slapped* for looking for this thing. The fury of Grandma Em is not something any of us wanted to mess with let alone him or Uncle Ben. What could have been so important about this treasure that not only did it override everyone warning him not to, but that he and Aunt Abigail agreed not to tell anyone that they were going?"

"That's a point," Cris said, leaning over the back of the sofa. There was silence for a few moments as Will and Charlotte poured over three letters from the same man, Adrian Bradford. According to the letters, he was in charge of acquiring antiquities for the society, and the challenge of locating Yamashita's treasure once and for all required discretion and expertise, both of which the Gates family was renowned for.

"I have an idea, but it's going to take some coordination," Will said, looking up at his family.

"We're all ears, Will," Jacob said.

"Remember when dad told us about how he got into places like the National Archives opening and the president's birthday party at Mount Vernon?" Will said.

"Yeah, he dressed like he belonged there and blended in," Riley answered.

"Exactly. If this guy has enough clout that he can order a world-renown treasure hunter to go off the grid to find a treasure for him, he's got enough clout to do just about anything. There would be nothing stopping him from, say, hopping a plane to Japan to check on his investment?" Will elaborated.

"Will, that's crazy!" Emily Anne insisted. "We don't even know if they still are in Japan, we don't know who this Bradford guy is, and we don't know where your mom and dad started on all of this. Maybe Bradford had more information that they needed. What are we going to do? I'm not sending you in there armed with a textbook and a smile." Riley hid a smile at this. Some days, Emily Anne really did sound like her namesake, Grandma Em.

"These are my parents, Emily," Will said sternly. All motion in the room stopped—Will rarely used just her first name. "Whether I have to hop a plane or a kamikaze missile, I'm going to find them."

"I don't think there's any reason to start a fight over this," Jacqui said before Emily Anne could lose control of her quivering lower lip. Little Danielle fussed in the quiet—she knew tension when she felt it. There was another space of quiet before Abe looked up from his place beside Jane and then stood.

"The longer we stand here, the more danger mom and dad are in. If we're going to do something, we need to do it fast," Abe said.

"I'm in," said Charlotte. "What's first?"

***

"If dad saw you right now, he'd think he was looking in a mirror," Abe said, smoothing the wrinkles in his brother's suit jacket and then adjusting the knot on the tie. He gave up a moment later and began to re-tie it.

"I've tied that thing three times!" Will whined.

"Dad's not very good at it either," Abe muttered with a small smile. Will looked at his brother and for a moment, wondered when it happened that Abe was tall enough to look him in the eye. He touched Abe's arm as he finished tying the tie and Abe stopped, swallowed hard and looked his brother square in the eye.

"Just promise me they're all right," Abe whispered. There was a space of silence before the brothers threw their arms around each other in a manly hug. When they arrived back in the great room, Jacqui snapped a picture before Will could protest.

"Aunt Jacqui!" he said good-naturedly. Will was definitely worth the picture in his father's black imported silk suit. The shirt he wore beneath it was deep red and the tie was black to match the suit. Will had had to stuff the toes of his father's shoes, but not by much.

"Very impressive, Mr. Gates," Jacob said, patting Will on the back. Will's summer tan was dark from a three month dig in Central America and it did credit to the colors he was wearing. He definitely looked the part of a rich investor from Hawaii.

"Uncle Riley, do I have a plane?" Will teased.

"Not only do you have a plane, but you have an entourage," Riley said. At that moment, Meri, and Jamie entered the room in black suits with white shirts and Abe was only minutes behind in a suit of silver gray with a matching tie and a dark lavender shirt.

"Meri and Jamie are going as your personal security detail, and Abe as a legal representative. Emily Anne will go with you as your personal assistant," Riley said.

"No," Will said. "Jamie's too scrawny to be security, and Emily Anne's a distraction."

"That's the whole point of a personal assistant," Emily Anne said with a wink.

"…and I don't have to be a muscle-bound bonehead to be dangerous," Jamie added.

"Muscle-bound bonehead?" Meri repeated incredulously at his brother. Jamie ducked and laughed.

"What about the kids?" Will said, flustered.

"That's why they have grandparents," Nadya said.

"All right," Will said, taking a minute to look them all over. "All right, let's roll."

"Wait!" Charlotte cried. "You're not leaving me behind." Will and Meri looked up at his Charlotte, standing at the top of the stairs dressed as if she could have worked in Abe's 'law office'. "It would make sense for a high-powered attorney like Abe to travel with his own paralegal, wouldn't it?" she said.

Will took a moment to decide what to say but Meri had no such hang-up.

"You don't need to do this, Charlie," Meri said as his wife arrived at his side.

"Like hell I don't. These are my parents. You're going, my brothers are going. I'm going," Charlotte said. "You all abandoned me to go play boy heroes on the last major treasure hunt."

"Can we leave now?" Jamie asked. "You heard what Abe said; the longer we stand around…"

"By all means. Let's go!" Emily Anne said.

In minutes, Will and the others had everything they needed and were on their way to the airport and from there, on their way to Japan.

***

After interviewing with the authorities in Japan, Will discovered that his parents had indeed been there and had spent time researching at a library and had done very little sight-seeing before leaving, bound for the Philippines. Will thanked them politely and the kids were off again, the commercial flight from Japan to the Philippines was fraught with tension. What would they find when they arrived in Manila?

As Abe, Jamie, Charlotte and Meri dozed in the seats in front of them, Will and Emily Anne couldn't sleep. Will was flipping idly through a magazine when Emily Anne rested her hand on his.

"What's wrong?" Will asked her softly.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Will said, setting the magazine in his lap.

"You're just scared. We all are," Emily Anne said gently.

"Don't justify it for me, I was a jerk. Yes, I'm scared for my mom and dad, but I didn't need to take it out on you," Will replied. Emily Anne nodded quietly and Will slid his finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to meet his eyes.

"I love you, baby," Will said, applying several small, soft kisses to Emily Anne's lips.

"I love you, too," Emily Anne said as he stroked her cheek.

"I think the plane's coming in toward the final stretch. We're going to have to wake up our entourage," Will teased, making Emily Anne finally smile.

***

When the kids retrieved their luggage and exited the airport, there was a stretch limousine waiting for them.

"Are you sure you have the right person?" Will asked the driver.

"I was told to look for someone matching your description. Is this you?" the driver asked, handing Will a note addressed to him. He smiled and nodded. Will turned to the others and read the note quietly to them.

"We decided that high-powered American executives should travel accordingly. Love, Uncle Riley, Aunt Jacqui, Uncle Jacob and Aunt Nadya," Will read, a smile plastered across his handsome face. Charlotte fought a giggle as they turned back to the driver, who had already loaded their things into the trunk and was smiling as he waited for them to get into the car.

"Thank you," Will said to the driver, gesturing for the girls to get into the car first. The ride to their five-star hotel (Cristina and Mary's idea) was silent. The kids did their best to behave as if this was the norm and they did business this way all the time. Gratefully, no one asked questions that they couldn't answer.

"Where do we start?" Charlotte asked when they had gotten settled in their rooms.

"Computer's coming online here in a minute. We should have our video connection to home soon," Abe said.

"We tracked mom and dad this far—shouldn't be too much of a stretch to figure out where they went from here," Will added.

"Good morning, Manila!" yawned Riley when the video connection came online. Baby Mary was snuggling against her grandpa's shoulder and drowsily sucking her thumb.

"We're exactly 12 hours behind DC," Will said at Charlotte's confusion.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Riley," Abe said. "It's 5:30pm here. Must be 5:30am there,"

"How'd you guess?" Riley asked dryly.

"Great shadow there, Uncle Riley," Jamie teased.

"You're just saying that because you're on the other side of the world and I can't get to you," Riley replied.

"If you can help it, don't let Mary suck her thumb. She's got her pacifier for that," Abe said, his paternal side momentarily kicking in when he spotted his baby girl.

"Do you have anything else for us, Uncle Riley?" asked Emily Anne.

"Should be in your email right now," said Riley, typing one-handed as the other hand supported the baby. A couple of seconds passed before a shadow came over the computer screen and a pair of slender hands lifted Mary from her grandfather's shoulder. Riley smiled up at this person, who bent to softly kiss his lips and her hand lingered on his shoulder as she walked away.

"I hope the kids aren't being too much trouble," Meri said.

"Not at all. I think Jacqui and Nadya are actually having more fun than usual," Riley replied.

"Got the email. This should help us a lot. Thanks, Uncle Riley," Abe said.

"Keep us posted, guys," Riley said before he severed the video connection.

***

"The last time dad's credit card was used was at this hotel," Abe explained. He had downloaded all of the information from the email into his phone and the others had done the same so that they all had the same information. He got out of the limo to check with the lobby and discovered that they had not yet checked out. Abe returned to the car and shared this information, adding that they had left the hotel three days before but had not checked in. Abe told the receptionist that some urgent business had taken them out of town but that they were definitely coming back. This seemed to pacify the hotel staff and the kids were off again.

"We're at a dead end," Jamie said. "They were here, but they could be anywhere now."

"Think about the treasure they're after," Meri said. "If the treasure is underwater…"

"They'd need a boat," added Jamie.

"They'd also need diving gear. Mom doesn't dive, but dad's an expert," Will said.

"According to the legend, the treasure was supposedly sunk and buried in Bacuit Bay. So we need to go there and see if there are any vendors who rent professional diving equipment," Charlotte said, using her phone to search the internet for just that.

"We don't know if dad brought his own equipment though," Will said. "He's pretty picky about that stuff—he's only going to trust it if he's used it himself before."

"The shipping alone would have been through the roof to take the equipment with him," Meri said.

"Executive decision?" Charlotte said, looking at Will.

"We'll check with the dive shops on the off chance that dad didn't bring his own equipment. Abe, take Charlie with you and go to the boat rental shop. That's about the only thing that dad couldn't have brought with him," Will said. The others were agreed and when they arrived, the kids left the limo with instructions that they would call when they needed him.

***

"Arrested?" Will said, more loudly than he intended. Abe and Charlotte called him from the boat rental shop, having discovered that the boat that their father had rented had been returned by the police after Ben and Abigail had been taken into custody.

"That's all they knew. They gave us a number to call for the police station. He assured us that they speak English and that they could give us some answers," Abe said.

"Meri, call this number and see what you can find out," Will said, giving him the number for the police station. "I'm calling our ride."

"What could they possibly have been arrested for? Their papers were all in order and their passports were current," Emily Anne said softly.

"They don't need probable cause here," growled Jamie, gesturing for Emily Anne to precede him out the door.

"Damnit!" Meri hissed, slapping his phone closed.

"What is it?" Will asked when they caught up with Abe and Charlotte. They only waited another few minutes before the limo arrived.

"They don't know anything. According to the inspector I talked to they were released, so they don't know where they would have gone," Meri said. Minutes later, Meri's phone rang again. He was surprised to discover that it was the inspector.

"After doing a little looking, I've discovered that your friends were picked up by a nondescript car outside the police station. The plate was visible to the camera so we ran the plate. It belongs to a special section of our military. They have a facility on Palawan Island. If you like, I can recommend a charter flight service to get you there," the inspector said.

"Thank you, yes," Meri stammered. "That's very kind of you."

"These do not respond well to visitors," the inspector warned him. "I wish you luck in finding your friends."

"Thank you, sir. I think we'll need all the luck we can get," Meri said, copying down the information he gave him.

***

When the team arrived in El Nido Airport, they had all gained an edge of nervous excitement. They rented two jeeps to get them from the airport to the military installation that the inspector had told them about. As he predicted, the guards at the gate were less than hospitable and demanded their identification and passports. Thanks to their family's talent for faking credentials, the fakes that they had brought along to supplement their true papers and identification passed inspection and they were allowed to pass, with guards to accompany them, into the compound. Emily Anne swallowed hard and fought the urge to grab hold of Will's arm. The installation was more than Spartan—it was sterile. The smooth concrete walls gave the impression that they were underground, though they had not gone down any stairs or down any noticeable slopes on their way. Their guide tried to say something to them in a language they didn't understand and Will said, "In English, please?"

"Ah, yes…Americans…I had almost forgotten," the man sneered. "What interest do you have in our prisoners?"

"My interest is business. I hired this man and his wife to seek out the Yamashita treasure if indeed it still exists. I thought I had provided everything needed for his success, but it seems we've run into some…complications," Will said, standing up a little straighter.

"You travel with many people, American," the guide said, looking Emily Anne up and down. She lowered her eyes instinctively and tried to unobtrusively disappear beside Will.

"Who I travel with is not part of business today," Will said firmly.

"Your assistant? She's lovely," the guard commented.

"Thank you," Will replied as they continued to walk.

"Your wife?" the guard asked, holding a door open for them leading to the interrogation area.

"My mistress," Will said, looking the man in the eye. The guard grinned lustfully and muttered 'good luck' as they passed through.

"Who is this?" sputtered a red-faced lieutenant. The guards shrugged and Will and his security detail took a step forward from the group.

"My name is Adrian Bradford. I'm here to secure my investment," Will said, matching the harshness of the man's tone.

"Investment?" the lieutenant demanded.

"I sent an explorer after a treasure supposedly lost in this part of the world. He stopped relaying communication three days ago and I've followed the trail here," Will said. "I didn't want there to be any misunderstanding between us regarding the legitimacy of whatever story he told you, so I came here personally."

"You are either very brave or very stupid, American," the lieutenant barked.

"There doesn't need to be a problem here. Release my employee and anyone with him and we'll leave you," Will insisted. One of the guards that had slowly approached to surround them reached out and touched Emily Anne's bottom, making her squeal in surprise. Jamie, the closest to her, pulled her away and lashed out at the man, laying him on the floor in four strikes. Will covered his surprise—he hadn't realized that when Jamie said he didn't need to be muscle-bound to be dangerous that he hadn't been kidding.

"I've had enough of this," Will growled. "Stop stalling and give us what we came for!" The lieutenant sneered hatefully, but gave orders in a language that sounded vaguely like a mixture of English and another language that none of them recognized. Three guards disappeared and returned a minute later, dragging a reluctant and fearful Ben and Abigail, shoving them out in front of the very well dressed group so that they fell to the floor. Will took a breath to steady himself and ordered Meri and Jamie to help them up and get them out of there. Will smoothed his jacket and narrowed his eyes as he nodded curtly to the lieutenant instead of saying goodbye. The atmosphere was thick with the repressed emotions the kids were fighting not to reveal until they were certain that they were out of range of the compound. As a matter of fact, they waited until the plane that had brought them to Palawan returned them to Manila. They took the time to retrieve Ben and Abigail's things and then made for their own hotel. This whole time, Ben and Abigail clung to one another, numb with fear and confusion.

"They don't recognize us, Will," Charlotte murmured as they rode in the limo back to the hotel.

"I know. They just need to eat and rest and get cleaned up. They're going to be okay," Will assured his sister. Abe called Riley as they arrived to let everyone at home know that they had finally found Ben and Abigail, and that they were on their way back to the hotel. When they arrived, the kids split into small groups. Emily Anne and Charlotte took Abigail and Will and Abe took Ben, and they attempted to pull them into separate rooms to help them get cleaned up.

"Abigail!" Ben cried.

"No!" Abigail wept, reaching for her husband.

"Mom!" Charlotte said. "Mom, it's okay!"

"You're safe now, dad!" Abe said. "You guys are going to be okay!"

For the first time since their perilous jail-break, Ben really looked at his rescuers. Recognition sparked in his blue eyes and he suddenly started to cry, throwing his arms around his boys.

"Ben?" Abigail whimpered. "Ben, what's..?" She looked at the tall blonde young lady who still held her arm and was smiling at her and then finally found those blue eyes that were so remarkably familiar.

"Charlotte!" Abigail sobbed. She wilted into Charlotte's arms and the pair gave their children no more resistance to the help they offered. The entire team would sleep more soundly that night and would have a much better report for Riley when they got up the next morning.

***


	6. The Treasure Hunt Renewed

**6. The Treasure Hunt Renewed**

Not surprisingly, when Will went to check on his parents the next morning, he found them curled up into a tight ball together, Abigail all but hidden from view. He returned to the main room, where the others had gathered for breakfast. "They're still sleeping, not that I blame them. I can't imagine what they went through in there."

"What do we do now, Will?" Charlotte asked as he sat down next to Emily Anne and began to eat his Belgian waffle.

Meri glanced at his wife, puzzled. "What do you mean, what do we do? We take Uncle Ben and Aunt Abigail home."

"Without the treasure?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him, blue-gray eyes beginning to flash with a spirit reminiscent of her mother and grandmother.

Meri covered her hand with his, green eyes serious. "Charlotte, Grandpa Pat got slapped when he looked for the treasure. Your parents were detained for three days while looking for the treasure. Let it go."

"No!" She stood up, her eyes flashing with both anger and hurt that Meri had used her full name. "There's obviously something important in the treasure. We should try to find out what it is."

Abe got up and moved around to stand behind his sister, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Charlie, Meri has a good point. It's too dangerous to look for the treasure."

She spun to face her younger brother, knocking his hands away. "Has that ever stopped any Gates before?"

"No, but this is a case where the potential risks outweigh the possible rewards," Jamie answered as Abe held up his hands and returned to his seat.

Charlie turned her glare on Jamie for a moment before appealing to her twin. "Will, you agree with me, right?"

After a moment, he slowly looked up, blue eyes meeting her blue-gray ones, and nodded. "Yes, I think we should."

"Will is right," Emily Anne added, resting her cheek on her husband's shoulder. "If we _don't_ look for the treasure, we're going to wonder for the rest of our lives if we should have looked for it after all."

Charlie resumed her seat beside Meri, pointedly ignoring the lone sausage on his plate. "Besides, if _we_ don't look for it, our children will when they're old enough to go treasure hunting."

"Another Templar Treasure," Abe muttered, running a hand through his sandy blond curls.

Will nodded, briefly glancing at Meri to communicate that he needed to have a talk with Charlie. "Exactly. I wouldn't feel like a proper Gates man if I didn't at least _try_ to find the treasure."

"Well-spoken, Will." Ben's voice drew their attention to the door. Ben stood there with Abigail pressed tight against his side.

The twins and Abe quickly jumped to their feet, hurrying forward to hug their parents tightly. Ben and Abigail hugged each of their children in turn. The five of them moved slowly towards the table and the older couple was soon seated with a steaming hot plate of food in front of each them. "I knew you'd come looking for us when we didn't call."

"Of course, Mom." Charlotte smiled and patted Abigail's arm. "After that trip to the Middle East, we're all a little jumpy about losing communication."

Ben and Abigail nodded, exchanging glances and tired smiles. "If you don't mind taking orders from your old man, we'll show you what progress we've made."

"Thanks, Dad." Will nodded, looking grateful and relieved.

* * *

"Ben! Abigail!" Riley grinned when he saw his friend's faces on the computer screen. It faded when he got a good look at them. Their smiles didn't quite reach their eyes and they seemed to be sitting very close together. "What happened?"

Ben answered the question while Abigail rested her head on his shoulder. "The local authorities received a tip that we were searching for the treasure illegally."

"That's ridiculous. You would never do that!" Riley snorted. He glanced up at a nudge from behind him. Jacqui stood there, strawberry blonde eyebrows arched playfully. "Okay, so you _have_ done that, but only on your own initiative, without backing from anyone."

His friend nodded, kissing the top of Abigail's head. "Right. Once the police were satisfied that our paperwork was in order, they let us go."

"So why were you missing?" the younger man demanded, taking Jacqui's hand when she rested it on his shoulder. "We were all worried when you didn't call."

Abigail answered this time, her voice wavering a little. "Outside the police station, we were forced into a nondescript car and taken to another location. The kids found out that the people who picked us up are from a special section of the Filipino military."

"You realize the 'kids' aren't really kids anymore, right?" he commented with a smirk.

Much to Riley's relief, he received a mock-glare from both of his friends. "The point is, someone either doesn't want us to find the treasure or they have a grudge."

"I'm leaning towards the former," Riley mused, tapping his chin. "Haven't I always said that the axiom of treasure hunting is that there's someone else after the treasure? What better way to ensure _they_ get to the treasure first than to get other treasure hunters out of the way?"

Ben shrugged. "We'll know once we find out who tipped off the police and likely the military, too. Could you, Jacob, and Janie do what you can to find that out?"

"You mean use our mad hacker skillz?" the younger man asked with a grin, remembering something his daughter had said.

The other two laughed and Ben replied, "Yeah, something along those lines."

"Will do." Riley saluted. "How soon are you going to be home?" The other two glanced at each other, but didn't say anything. Riley didn't like that one bit. "Oh, no. You are _not_ staying there to find the treasure!"

Determination appeared on both faces. "Yes, we are, Riley. We started this treasure hunt and we're not going to stop just because someone's tried to stop us."

"Are the kids going to help you?" he asked, squeezing Jacqui's hand when her grip tightened around his. "I'd feel better knowing you had them backing you up."

Ben nodded. "Yes, they'll be helping us out."

"And you teased us about calling them kids," Abigail muttered, but without anger.

Riley sighed his relief and Jacqui loosened her grip on his hand. "All right. Jacob, Janie, and I will get cracking on finding the whistle blower for you. Take care, Ben."

"You, too, Riley." Ben smiled faintly and the connection faded out.

Turning off the webcam, Riley turned to his wife, wrapped his arms around her waist, and buried his face in her stomach, relieved that his best friend was alive and safe. Jacqui held him, stroking his head and shoulders soothingly.

* * *

Charlie lay curled up on the bed, her back to the door, when Meri slipped inside. "Charlie?"

"Shouldn't that be Charlotte?" she growled, still keeping her back to the door--and her husband.

He sighed and closed the door, sitting down on the bed beside her. She shuffled away a few inches so they weren't even touching. "I'm sorry, Charlie. You just had that treasure-hunting gleam in your eyes and I was afraid Rachael would lose her mother, given the condition your parents were in when we found them."

"I'm a Gates by blood, if not in name anymore," she replied quietly. "You should know by now that you can't keep me from hunting treasure."

Meri smiled wryly. "Unless you're pregnant again."

"Don't even _think_ about keeping me pregnant just to stop me from treasure-hunting," she warned him, rolling over enough to glare at him over her shoulder.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I love you, Charlotte Perkins Gates-Bonner."

Charlie glared at him when he lifted his head, but it was softened by love and affection. "Damn you, Meriwether Lewis Bonner. Why do you have to be so... you?"

"You wouldn't love me if I wasn't me," he replied, offering her the sausage she'd left on his plate.

Smiling, she took the sausage and ate it. He smiled back and stretched out beside her on the bed. Charlie finished rolling over and nestled against him, pressing close.

* * *

Jane was less than pleased when she heard that the others would be staying in the Philippines to look for the treasure. "I missed the last treasure hunt, too!"

"Because you were pregnant, Sweetie," Jacqui reminded her daughter gently.

The younger woman pouted, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not pregnant now! I should have found a way to go with them!"

"Charlie went because her _parents_ were missing, Janie," the older woman's voice was a little sharper now. "Emily Anne went because it helped their cover story and she's the language expert."

Jane's eyes were sparking with anger. "So? I could have found something!"

"Stop it, Jane." Jacqui's voice was very stern now. "Thinking of what ifs and wishing things were different isn't going to help the others figure out who was behind the tip."

Contrite blue eyes met stern green ones. "You're right, Mom. I'm sorry."

"It's quite all right, Sweetie." Jacqui kissed her daughter's hair. "Go help your father and Uncle Jacob with the hacking."

"Yes, Mom." Jane nodded and got up to join the two men. If she couldn't go to the Philippines to help, she'd do what she could from Washington, D.C.

* * *

Several hours later, Jacob gave a shout of triumph. "I found our tipster!"

"Who is it, Uncle Jay?" Jane asked, craning her head around from her computer to try to look at his computer screen.

Jacob turned his laptop so she could see the picture of a strong-jawed woman with shoulder-length honey-brown hair and intense blue eyes. "Michelle Justice Harper: studied history at the Virginia Military Institute and computer science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She worked for a software development firm for quite a few years before striking out on her own and starting the Harper-Wilkinson Foundation."

"Harper-_Wilkinson_?" Riley asked, turning from his computer, an inscrutable expression on his face.

Jacob nodded, frowning a little. "Why? Does that ring a bell?"

"Perhaps because Harper is Michelle's married name?" Jane commented, having brought up Michelle's birth certificate. "Her maiden name is Wilkinson."

Jacqui, who'd been listening quietly, spoke up with a question, "Wasn't Wilkinson the name of that one guy?"

"Mitch Wilkinson was the one who started Ben searching for Cibola, if only to prove Thomas Gates' innocence," Riley answered, clicking on a picture. In it, a teenage Michelle Wilkinson in graduation robes stood with a woman who had to be her mother. While the girl proudly held her diploma, the woman held a framed studio portrait of Mitch Wilkinson.

Jacob sighed. "It looks like this is someone with a grudge after all."

**End Chapter**


	7. A Matter of Treasure and Family Honor

**Chapter 7**

**A Matter of Treasure and Family Honor**

"How did they get here so fast?" Michelle Wilkinson Harper barked at a van full of young men about her age. Each scrambled back to his workstation as if he'd been struck.

"Jeez, Shelly, you don't have to snap," one of them replied. He had tousled brown hair and glasses over green eyes. She took a step forward and the other four men flinched. Michelle went to the workstation of the man who had spoken and leaned close to his ear.

"I want to know how those losers caught up with us so fast, Rio. I want to know now," she said softly. "No one is going to out-hunt me on this one. Not when I've come this far. Now get on that miserable excuse for a computer of yours and figure out what went wrong…NOW!" She shouted the last word, sending Rio rolling a good six inches on the wheels of his chair.

"Gard!" Michelle growled.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied as though he was weary of these temper tantrums. Gard was sandy blonde and brown eyed, and a strong jaw line was all that kept his delicate features from being too feminine. He was shorter than his cohorts, as a matter of fact, only two inches taller than Michelle, and it was a source of relentless harassment for much of his life.

"Cut the crap," she demanded. "Get me Bradford. The Philippine authorities said a bunch of kids came through yesterday looking for Gates and his wife. I want to know who they are and what their connection to Gates is."

"Ever stop to think that it might be Gates' kids?" another of the men chimed in. Michelle's long straight brown hair swung like a curtain around her shoulders and her cold blue eyes narrowed.

"Did I tell you that you could talk, Eric?" she hissed. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it."

"I'm just saying we should consider it," Eric said, leaning back against a bank of storage cabinets and folding his tanned arms over a broad chest. His hair was auburn red and a tangle of curls that fell in his sharp green eyes. A dusting of freckles was all that disturbed perfect skin and he was the tallest of the four men at six foot three.

"Gates' kids couldn't find their asses with two hands and a map!" Michelle said.

"I'd watch how you underestimate these guys, Michelle," said the last of Michelle's entourage. He was wiry of build and his brown hair was so dark it was nearly black to match his inky black eyes.

"Oh, really?" Michelle said, turning her fury toward this last of the party. He seemed to be the only one who could retaliate against Michelle without her threatening bodily harm.

"In case your head's been buried just a little too far in the sand lately, Gates and those kids you think are so stupid found the long lost treasure of Jean Lafitte a few years back, and not too long ago, his oldest led the expedition to find King Solomon's mines—and found that too," he said from a chair across from Rio's. Michelle appeared to be counting to ten, a luxury she hadn't afforded Rio, Eric, or Gard.

"Carson, this isn't the time or place," Michelle growled, pressing her hand against her head. "Find them. Find Bradford. Find out what their next move is so that I can dispose of them myself. Apparently if I want something accomplished, I have to do it myself!" she screeched the end of her statement, her eldritch tirade ending with the slamming of the short door on the side of the van as she exited, taking a few steps away from the vehicle. There was a heavy silence in the van before Carson got out of his chair and made for the door.

"Be careful, man," Eric said, gesturing toward Carson with a nod of his head as he moved past him to take his place at his station.

"You guys know that half the reason we're out here is because of her old man's death in Cibola. She and her mom have blamed the Gates family for leaving him behind ever since," Carson said.

"She still doesn't realize that Gates tried to save him, does she?" Rio said.

"Gates *said* he tried to save him and his entire family backed him up. Mitch did a lot of shitty things to Gates and his family to get to where he wanted to go. They had no reason to save him. I mean, if someone had abducted my mother to get me to go risk my life hunting down the city of gold…" Carson continued, pausing to shake his head. "You just don't mess with people's parents, man. It's not right."

"I kinda can't blame Gates for doing it if he *did* deliberately leave him. I'd level cities to save my mother," Rio said. "You're right. He had no reason to keep Mitch alive."

"Yeah he did," said Gard said, speaking up for the first time since Michelle stormed out of the van. "Honor. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, Gates held up his end of the bargain and he even gave Mitch credit for helping with the discovery. I believe that Gates tried to save him."

"Then what are you doing here?" Carson asked, one hand resting on the door handle.

"Michelle's my cousin, all right? I love her. I'll help her find the treasure but I won't help her devastate someone else's family," Gard argued. He pointed at Carson and said, "Now get your ass out there and do the good husband thing and comfort her."

***

It was Emily Anne's face that appeared at the screen when her mother answered the chirp that told whoever was in the room that the connection to their family in Asia was coming through.

"Hi, baby!" Nadya said sweetly. "How are things going?"

"It was a little rocky this morning. Meri pulled a bone-head move and ticked off Charlie but I think they worked it out. Uncle Ben and Aunt Abigail are up and around," Emily Anne reported. She briefly looked around and then back at the screen. "They're not around at the moment…Uncle Ben said something about a shower." This stopped Emily Anne and she shook her head to dispel what she had just thought as her mother laughed. She was cradling a bundle in a pink blanket and tiny little hands occasionally reached up to touch the sides of a bottle she was sucking on.

"Is that my little girl you're holding?" Emily Anne said with a sudden smile. Nadya put the now empty bottle on the desk and shifted the baby so that her mother could see her round little face.

"Can you say 'good morning' to mamma?" Nadya said to Danielle. Nadya took Danielle's little hand and made her wave at the screen. Emily Anne turned and motioned for Will to join her.

"Hey!" he said with a grin. "There's my baby girl."

"Mamma and daddy love you, sweetie," Emily Anne cooed. Meri and Charlie came back into the room and noticed what was going on at the computer. Minutes later, Nadya switched places with Jacqui, who had just finished burping Rachael. Rachael Anne Bonner heard her parents' voices and promptly started to cry, bringing tears to her mother's eyes, but all the same, Jacqui allowed them enough time to see and talk to their baby girl before switching places with Jane. When she sat down, Jacqui and Nadya left the room with the other two infants. They knew that the cell phone reception had been sketchy at best, and that the best connection was the video one. With this knowledge, they knew that Abe and Jane hadn't spoken to or seen one another since the team left for Japan two days ago. Charlie and Meri made way for Abe and the young Gates' shared a pair of radiant smiles.

"Hi, baby," Abe said. "How're you doing over there?"

"I miss you," Jane said, forcing herself to hold it together for the infant in her arms. "I keep wishing I'd come with you like Emmie and Charlie did."

"Aw, Janie, I miss you, too," Abe said, biting his lip. "Is that our munchkin you have there?"

"She misses you worse than I do, I think," Jane teased. "You've been rocking her before bed and now you're not here."

"Is she fighting you at bedtime?" Abe asked, suddenly a little guilty.

"Yes. I tried just putting her down and she screams until I pick her up. I pick her up again and she cries and flings her little fists at me," Jane said. Abe shifted in his chair and got a little closer to the screen.

"Can she hear me? Is she awake?" Abe asked. Jane nodded and scooted forward so that Mary was close enough to the screen for her daddy to see her clearly.

"Mary Emily, this is daddy, honey," Abe said gently. Little Mary turned at the sound of her name and suddenly was very interested in the computer screen. "Mary, I want you to stop giving your mamma so much trouble, okay? Daddy will be home as soon as he can and we can rock again." Mary stretched a tiny right hand out to touch the screen and Abe swallowed hard.

"I love you, Mary," Abe said, his voice getting thicker with emotion. Jane eased the baby back away from the screen and Jane added her own bit to the conversation.

"Come home safe," she said, a tear coursing slowly down her cheek. "I love you, Abraham." Abe felt the gravity of her statement all the way to his toes. She never used his whole name—never.

"I love you, too. I meant what I said—we'll be home as soon as we can," Abe said.

"We know…please be careful," Jane reminded him.

"We will," Abe said, saying 'I love you' one more time before vacating the seat and crossing the sitting room to flop down on the couch, his head in his hands. Ben slowly sat down beside his young son and rested his hand on Abe's shoulder.

"How the hell did you and Grandpa do this? How do you walk out that door and leave a wife and a baby at home alone?" Abe said from beneath his hands.

"It's never easy, son," Ben said. "I had Grandpa and Grandma to help us when you and Will and Charlie were little, and sometimes Great-Grandpa John helped out when I was little. You always leave just a piece of you behind when you're away from them." Abe nodded and sat up to dry his eyes.

"I've got our transportation!" chimed Will, dropping onto the couch on the other side of his father. A smile spread over Ben's face—he knew that gleam in his oldest son's eyes.

"What do you have in mind?" Charlie asked.

"According to the research we have from mom and dad, there is a man in Baguio that was once a member of the Japanese army and that he's got a map that will lead us right to it," Will said. "Baguio is about 75 miles north of here."

"That still doesn't tell me how we're getting there," Emily Anne said.

"What do you guys say to a little race?" Will said, showing his family the screen of another laptop. He'd rented four motorcycles for them that each carried two passengers.

"Will! I hate motorcycles!" Emily Anne cried.

"Come on, Emily Anne," Charlie said with a grin. "You're just afraid that Meri and I are so going to beat you two there."

"Says who?" Abe said. "What says Jamie and I don't come out ahead of everyone else?"

"All right, the sibling rivalry is getting a little deep in here," Abigail said, glancing at each of her children.

"Emily Anne, honey, this is the fastest way to get us there. The faster we get there, the faster we find out about that map and…well…you get it. The faster we get going, the faster we get home to our baby girl," Will said. Emily Anne knew she was defeated as she looked around the room.

"Yes! We're going!" Jamie yelled triumphantly, jumping up and down. "I know that look! She knows she's beat!" Will moved to wrap his arms tenderly around Emily Anne, who hugged her own shoulders in fear and defeated pride.

"I'm terrified of motorcycles, Will," Emily Anne muttered. "Why would you do that?"

"Like I said, it's the fastest and easiest way to get there. They're easier to maintain, get better mileage, and traffic will be a breeze," Will said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Promise me we're going to be okay?" Emily Anne said, turning and staring up at him. Will drowned in Emily Anne's big blue eyes.

"Yes, I do," Will said confidently. "I promise. This is going to be fun, baby. I swear."

***

"Everybody on the same frequency?" Ben's voice crackled to life through the speakers mounted inside each of the helmets his family wore.

"Check!" "Check!"

"Loud and Clear, dad!" "Ready!"

"Prepare to suck exhaust fumes!" "Baguio here we come!"

"Abraham Lincoln Gates!" Abigail's voice called to her youngest child.

"…sorry, mom," Abe murmured as Jamie laughed.

"Sorry, Aunt Abigail," he added, still snorting in laughter. The rest of the family was still chuckling when Will leaned a little and kick-started his bike, making his slightly-built wife to throw her arms around his waist in fright.

"Nothing to it, honey," Will said, "just lean when I lean and hang on, okay?" Emily Anne said, "Okay," and nodded as the other three bikes roared to life.

"I think you kids are forgetting something," Ben called to his children.

"What's that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did we really forget something?"

Without answering with anything but a grin and a burst of laughter, Ben cranked the throttle, dropped the clutch and pealed out ahead of his children.

"DAD!"

"Holy crap!"

"Quit whining and let's catch him!"

***


	8. Treasure of Information

**8. Treasure of Information**

"Dr. Bradford, thank you for getting back to us so quickly." Riley offered a warm smile, mentally reminding himself that the museum curator probably didn't know about Ben and Abigail almost being killed.

The man on the screen looked like the typical Pacific Islander: darkly tanned with thick, wavy black hair. His eyes weren't the typical brown, but a bright crystal blue that contrasted strikingly with his dark complexion and dark hair. His shoulders were broad and covered by a brightly-colored Hawaiian shirt. He smiled, white teeth flashing in his dark face. "No problem, Mr. Poole. What can I do to help you?"

"As you know, I'm a friend and associate of Dr. Benjamin Gates," Riley began, keeping his tone and expression bland and professional. "I haven't heard from him recently, but I know he's been in touch with you. Could you tell me how I might contact him?"

The curator shifted uneasily, his chair squawking in protest, suggesting that he was a big man. "I hired Dr. Gates to find a treasure for me and he hasn't been in touch with me, either."

"Can you tell me _what_ you asked him to find?" Riley asked, aware of Jacob and Jane watching from behind the laptop even though he kept his eyes on the screen.

Bradford shook his head, pushing back a lock of his hair. "I'm sorry, but that's confidential information. He was hired at the request of an investor who prefers to remain anonymous at this time."

"Of course, I understand." Riley nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Would I be correct in guessing that the treasure Ben is searching for is somewhere in the Pacific?"

After a brief hesitation, the curator nodded. "That's all I can share, Mr. Poole. If you do find Dr. Gates, could you please ask him to contact us? We're growing worried."

"I certainly will, Dr. Bradford. Thank you for your time." Riley kept smiling even though he wanted to scream.

Bradford nodded again, his smile a little strained. "Aloha, Mr. Poole."

"Aloha." Riley waited until Bradford had terminated the connection on his end before terminating it on this end. "Dammit!"

Jane sat down at her computer and immediately got to work, typing and mouse-clicking almost furiously, her face creased with concentration and focus. Jacob moved around the desk to rest his hand on Riley's shoulder. "He's not responsible for what happened to Ben and Abigail. That's a good thing."

"Instead, we have to find out which investor wanted Uncle Ben to search for the treasure in the first place." Jane added, still working. She grinned with almost evil triumph. "That investor is none other than Michelle Harper."

Riley turned in his chair to stare at his daughter. "How did you figure that out?"

"I hacked into the Pacific Islands Museum's database and found a copy of the contract they signed when she invested the money." Jane pulled up the documentation about the investment and highlighted the pertinent section. "You know that most documentation is saved both on paper and electronically now."

Smiling as only a proud father could, Riley reached over and ruffled Jane's hair. "That's my girl."

"Why have Ben sent to look for the treasure, only to try to kill him?" Jacob asked the question while Jane carefully saved what they'd found. "It seems counterproductive if you ask me."

Jacqui answered for her husband, having entered with a tray of food for their lunch. "That's pretty much what Wilkinson did. He sent Ben on the hunt for Cibola and followed his trail. I don't know if he intended to kill Ben at all, but he meant to survive so he could have the credit for finding Cibola."

"Which he has anyway because Ben is an honorable man," Nadya added, having followed Jacqui into the room with a tray of drinks.

Riley kissed his wife's cheek when he walked over to accept the portion she set aside for him. "I'd say Michelle's reasons are a little different from her father's."

"Ya think, Dad?" Jane asked with a snort. "She almost got Uncle Ben and Aunt Abigail killed. Wilkinson at least only used force to threaten."

Her father shook his head. "Someone had to stay behind so the rest of us could escape Cibola, Janie. It was almost Ben. He never told any of us how he and Mitch ended up switching places."

"We'll have to ask Uncle Ben when he gets back, then," Jane commented stubbornly.

Jacqui exchanged glances with her husband. "Good luck, Sweetie. We've been trying for almost thirty years to get that out of him."

* * *

When he exited the van, Carson found his wife pacing the clearing they were parked in, her fists clenching and unclenching by her sides. She barely acknowledged his presence when he began to walk alongside her. He was used to it, though. For as long as he'd known her, she'd been obsessed with Gates and getting back at him for the death of her father. Personally, Carson agreed with Gard. He knew it would be useless to say as much to his wife, though. Michelle's mother had taught her to blame Ben Gates for the death of her father and blame him she would. Instead, he said, "You really need to control your temper better, Chelle."

"Why?" she snapped, blue eyes flashing. "These kids have messed up my plan and my cousins are being exactly zero help in figuring out how to get them out of the way."

He stifled a sigh. "They're doing exactly as you asked and will let you know when they find out anything useful."

"Good, they're not being total idiots, then." Carson was relieved to notice that some of the tension had eased out of her shoulders.

He reached up and gently rubbed her shoulders in hopes of getting her to relax even more. "Why are you so determined to do this, Chelle? Not finding the treasure. That's obvious enough. What I'm wondering is why you're so determined to get Gates."

"He killed my father, Car," she answered, a southern lilt softening a voice too used to barking out orders. "It's because of him that I never had a proper father. I want to do this to avenge his death and to honor his memory."

Carson sighed and nodded. He loved Michelle dearly, but he wished the thirst for vengeance hadn't been so deeply ingrained in her by her mother. _I hope Gates' kids are as smart as he is. If nothing else, they'll help him survive Chelle long enough for her to come to her senses..._

At that moment, Michelle's phone squawked. She plucked it from her belt. "Yeah?"

"I have Bradford," Gard's voice informed her. "You need to hurry, though. He has a meeting."

A pleased smile that didn't quite reach her eyes curved Michelle's lips. "I'll be right there." She turned to her husband and kissed him quickly. "Come on, maybe now we'll get some answers."

"Yes, dear." They returned to the van together.

* * *

Four motorcycles with two riders each made their way northward, weaving in and out of traffic with ease. When she and Will reached Baguio, Emily Anne climbed off the bike with shaky legs all but clawed her helmet off. Dropping it on the crowd, she barely made it to side of the road before she was sick, regurgitating her breakfast. Grimacing with sympathy and a little guilt, Will set the kickstand, removed his helmet, and walked over to rub his wife's back soothingly. "I'm sorry Emily. I shouldn't have forced you, but this really was the best option."

"I know." She choked out, her voice hoarse. "I hate being motion-sick."

He nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders gently. Ever since they were little, Emily Anne had always been the most susceptible to motion-sickness when they traveled. "Hopefully we'll be able to use a car for the next part of the journey. At least you can handle that better than the motorcycle."

"Yeah." She leaned into him as they turned to rejoin the others. Meri and Jamie reached over and touched their sister's arm reassuringly. Abe and Charlie looked sympathetic. Ben and Abigail had approached the intercom and were conversing with the person on the other end in horrible Japanese. Hearing this, Emily gently pulled away from her husband and walked over to join the older couple. Since learning Ben and Abigail were searching for Yamashita's gold, Emily Anne had dedicated herself to learning the language, both verbally and by sight. Even with barely a week's study, she'd learned enough to convey to the other person why they were there and that they had no intention of harming anyone. She smiled, pleased, when the wrought iron gates began to open. "There you go."

Ben smiled and hugged her gently. "Arigato, Emily-chan."

"You're welcome, Father Ben." She returned the hug and fell back to walk with her husband as he and the other young men followed the older couple, pushing the motorcycles along.

Will gave his wife an admiring smile. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Just last night, I believe," she answered with wink. "You're more than welcome to tell me again tonight, though." She made a face. "After I've washed my mouth out and brushed my teeth."

He laughed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me, too."

* * *

"Dammit!" Michelle slammed her fist down on the disconnect button after Bradford had ended their phone call. She glared at Eric with icy blue eyes. "Don't you _dare_ say _I told you so_."

The tall man held up his hands in mock surrender. "The thought never crossed my mind."

"At least Poole doesn't know where Gates is," Michelle growled, pulling up information on her computer screen. "Did someone at least keep track of Gates' movements?"

It was Rio who answered the question. "They took four motorcycles up to Baguio. Something about a Japanese soldier with a map or something."

"Why aren't we heading up there, then?" Michelle's eyes landed on Gard.

Without further prompting, he slipped into the driver's seat of the van and started it up. Carson disappeared out the door to gather up what little equipment they'd left outside and they were soon on their way to Baguio themselves.

"What's the plan once we get to Baguio, Chelle?" Carson asked once he'd settled into the chair next to hers.

She barely glanced at him, her eyes fixed on the screen, where she'd pulled up all the information that could be found about Gates' family and friends. "Figure out where they are and follow them, of course."

"You realize they'll be more watchful now, right?" He rested his arm around her shoulders. "After what happened to Gates and his wife, those kids will be determined to keep them safe."

Michelle gave her husband a sour look. "We'll just be more careful about it. They are _not_ going to get to that treasure before us."

"Of course." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

She barely acknowledged it, being too absorbed in her research. He stifled a sigh and moved to the back of the van, where he sat down and settled in to take a nap. It was going to be a long, boring trip to Baguio.

**End Chapter**


	9. The Man With the Treasure Map

**Chapter 9**

**The Man with the Treasure Map**

"They're safe!" Emily called, taking a step or two into Patrick's den. "The children found Ben and Abigail!" Patrick stood up from his desk and folded his wife into his arms, hugging her warmly.

"There now," Patrick chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Didn't I tell you the kids would come through?"

"A mother never believes until she sees," Emily muttered. "Besides, it's not over yet. Instead of being sensible and going home, they're on their way to Baguio to find some map to lead them to where the gold is hidden."

"Now, don't you get yourself all worked up. They made it this far and you know how smart they all are," Patrick said reassuringly.

"Smart won't keep them from that madwoman," Emily insisted.

"What are you talking about?" Patrick said.

"There's some woman a little older than Charlie and Will and she's the one trying to hurt Ben and Abigail!" Emily explained.

"We'll keep an eye on it," Patrick said soothingly, tipping Emily's face up to meet his and kissing her softly. "For now, I think you ought to come upstairs with me and lie down."

"I don't know if I ought to leave the children…" Emily said, her voice soft with worry as she turned her head to look at the still open door. Without a word, Patrick coaxed her to face him again and kissed her again in earnest, holding her until she relaxed into the kiss and returned it. Coming up for air nearly a minute later, Emily gently stroked her husband's face.

"Then again…" Emily conceded. Patrick chuckled, running his hand through her soft golden curls.

"Just for a little while," Patrick said, holding her hand as he led her toward the door. "A little sleep never hurt anyone."

"They can't get into that much trouble," Emily said, keeping close to him on the way up the stairs. "We'll just lie down for a little while…"

"That's my girl," Patrick said, pushing their bedroom door shut after she entered behind him.

*************

"You know, the weather was perfectly clear a few minutes ago," Emily Anne said, staring out a window of their new accommodations.

"I know—do you see those thunderheads? We're in for a whopper storm tonight," Will said. Abe smiled from a chair across the room as he remembered a conversation he'd had with Jane not too long ago.

"You can thank Grandpa and Grandma for that," Abe chimed in.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked, turning to face him. Abigail smiled from where she was sitting with Ben on a sofa nearby. It had been her that taught the kids that their loved ones never really leave them.

"The day we all met at mom and dad's, there was a really short thunderstorm and I couldn't figure out why. Janie and I came to the conclusion that it was Grandma Em's way of telling us that she was worried about dad and when the rain stopped suddenly, she must have realized that we were on the trail and that dad was going to be okay," Abe explained.

"That's very sweet, Abe," Abigail murmured.

"She'd be in knots if she knew that we didn't just go home," Ben chuckled.

"I'm sure your dad has her under control," Abigail said soothingly.

"Honey, it may have looked that way, but dad *never* had mom under control," Ben laughed. The kids joined this laughter a moment later, remembering some of the more prominent tirades their grandmother had unleashed in her later years.

"All right, so where do we find this guy who has the map?" Charlotte said. Ben got up and located his backpack, pulling out a binder stuffed full of his research materials.

"It's not going to be easy," Ben said. "The Japanese royal family has been hunting down those who know anything about the true location of the gold since the end of the Second World War."

"You said he's the last one," Will said.

"That's right," Ben replied. "We're going to have to go about this quietly. Will—you and I are going to go into town to see what we can find out."

"While the rest of us damsels sit here like we don't know anything? Are you serious?" Abigail growled.

"Speak for yourself, Aunt Abigail," Jamie said.

"For sure!" Abe added, folding his arms over his chest in offense.

"There are simply too many of us to go out there all at once. We haven't heard from Riley and the others for a while and two Americans are less conspicuous than eight. Will and I are going alone," Ben insisted. Abigail finally relented, but she wasn't happy about it. Abe sat down at the computer while the others found other quiet distractions and Ben and Will were gone.

*************

The past few days had not been kind to Riley. Though his wife and kids kept him well supplied with good meals and kept him company, the long nights and the extended time in front of the computer when added to the stress of not knowing what was going to happen to his best friend had worn on the family 'nerd'. Jacqui had retired to bed long ago, and Riley blinked and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before getting up from his chair.

Two steps later, a wave of dizziness swept over him and he tripped over the coffee table and knocked over an end table and the lamp upon it as he fell. His chest suddenly felt tight and his breath too short for him to breathe properly. He opened his mouth to call for Jacqui and couldn't get her name out. He lay on the floor on his back, staring up at Ben and Abigail's living room ceiling in the dark and wondered what was happening to him as consciousness fled.

"Riley!" Jacob cried, thudding down the stairs into the living area and flicking on a light. Nadya and Jacqui were on his heels and Maggie, Jacob and Nadya's youngest daughter took one look and turned back up the stairs to tell her cousins what was happening.

"Say something!" Jacqui pleaded, stroking her husband's face in panic.

"Call an ambulance!" Jacob demanded, sending Nadya running for her cell phone.

Minutes later, Jacqui was shuddering helplessly as she sobbed into her twin brother's embrace. They'd been all but pushed out of the emergency room and Jacqui couldn't hold herself upright for fear. She collapsed into a chair with Jacob on one side and Nadya on the other and wept harshly in the silence of the night shift of the hospital.

"Jay…what am I going to do without him?" Jacqui sobbed.

"Don't think like that," Jacob said, barely holding back his own tears as he watched his twin sister cry. "Riley's going to be okay, they're going to save him, Jacqui."

"I hope you're right!" Jacqui wept. "Please, God, I hope you're right!"

*************

Emily sat up carefully, extracting herself from her husband's arms. Something wasn't right and she wasn't sure what it was.

"Did you feel that?" Emily said softly. Patrick grunted quietly and shifted his weight. He concentrated for a moment and then looked at Emily in surprise.

"The last time I felt that sensation, I woke up with you beside me here for the first time," Patrick replied. Emily's panic was immediate, and blatant. Both of the elder Gates' commenced to searching the house. Emily's first instinct was to check Ben's old bedroom, her first natural fear to suspect that her son had somehow met his demise.

"Emily!" Patrick called from another room down the hall. Emily rushed to find him crouched next to the bed in the guest room where Riley was warmly ensconced beneath the covers.

"No," Emily growled. "Not yet."

"We don't have a choice in this, Em," Patrick mumbled, shaking his head.

"NO!" Emily cried, sitting down on the edge of the bed, one hand covering Riley's hand and her other hand stroking his hair. She took a shaky breath and then swallowed to steady herself before she spoke again.

"Riley, listen to me. You need to fight. Fight your way back, Riley. Ben needs you, sweet Jacqui needs you…your grandchild needs you. Heaven will be here when your time truly comes, Riley. Go back, my dear, go," Emily coaxed. Patrick had taken hold of Riley's other hand, bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Take good care of them for us…" Emily whispered, pressing a tender kiss to Riley's forehead as a tear fell from her eyes to splash on Riley's cheek.

"We always considered you a son…we couldn't have asked for a better brother for Ben," Patrick added. "We love you…all of you."

Slowly, steadily, as quietly as he had appeared, Riley's tightly curled and sleeping form vanished and Emily slid off the bed into Patrick's arms where they held one another for a few minutes before weakly getting up to make their way to the living room. Perhaps the window would be able to show them what was happening.

*************

"Riley?"

Riley's eyesight was fuzzy and unfocused for the first few seconds, but as it cleared, his wife's pure green eyes and distraught expression came into view. His chest hurt terribly and it was hard to move but one thing was certain: he was alive.

"Riley, talk to me," Jacqui said, her voice thick with sadness. Her lip trembled, her eyes were shiny with tears, and he could now see that Jacob and Nadya were there, too.

"I love you," Riley muttered softly. Jacqui burst into fresh tears and carefully leaned over to hug him. "Ben's mom and dad said to say 'hi'." Jacob and Nadya were torn between tears and a wide grin. If Riley's sense of humor was intact, it was likely that he'd be fine.

"You saw Patrick and Emily?" Jacqui murmured.

"Yes," Riley replied, his voice gaining a little strength. He told them what he'd heard and felt and his stunned family listened with rapt attention. As Jacob and Nadya gently offered to go back to the house for the night to let the girls know what was going on, Jacqui was falling asleep curled against Riley's side. Riley lifted a shaking hand to touch his cheek and his fingertips met with a teardrop. Jacqui had been sitting on the other side of the bed—there was no way her tears could have gotten onto that side of his face. Humbled and grateful, Riley closed his eyes and took a slow breath before kissing the top of Jacqui's head and falling deeply asleep with Emily and Patrick's words echoing in his mind.

"_Take good care of them for us…"_

"_We love you…all of you." _

"We love you, too," Riley mumbled as sleep claimed his thoughts.

*************

The early evening in the Philippines was slowly coming to life with the glow of lanterns and signs and strings of lights criss-crossing across the main drag. Ben and Will made their way slowly through the throngs of people, coming to a run-down bar.

"What are we doing here?" Will mumbled softly near his father's ear.

"Having a drink, son," Ben said with a crooked grin.

"We don't have time for this," Will said. Ben sat down at the bar and smiled politely as he ordered a drink for them both. When the bartender returned with their drinks, Ben asked if he knew of the man they were looking for.

"Hitoshi Watanabe," Ben asked. The bartender frowned and shook his head.

"Americans?" the large, older man asked. Ben nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

"Your Japanese is sloppy," the man replied with a teasing smile.

"It's a difficult language and I respect that," Ben said, grateful to be able to converse in a language he understood better.

"Watanabe is a difficult man to find," the bartender said as he busied himself washing thick glass tumblers.

"What would a man have to do to make it easier?" Will asked.

"What business do you have with him?" the bartender probed.

"What's it to you?" Will said.

"Will," Ben warned softly.

"If you even know his name that means you want something from him. People have been trying to kill him for decades. You understand his need for anonymity," the bartender replied, looking directly at Ben.

"Yes," Ben said carefully. "I do."

"Dad?" Will asked softly. Ben held up a finger for Will to wait.

"So you know that if someone were to look for Hitoshi Watanabe, he would have to be very careful. The information he seeks from him is delicate," the bartender said.

"We know. We seek this information to restore a valuable piece of East Asian history to the world," Ben said.

"Nothing for yourselves?" the man asked.

"Only the satisfaction of knowing we contributed to history," Ben replied, still meeting the man's eyes. Will looked from one to the other, only vaguely following what was happening. Business continued around them as the bartender paused to serve another customer and then return.

"Do you enjoy visiting religious sites?" the bartender asked. Will furrowed his brow. Suddenly the conversation had taken a much lighter tone.

"Yes," Ben said. "I find cathedrals and monasteries very peaceful."

"May I recommend one?" the bartender offered.

"Of course," Ben said. Will took his blackberry from his pocket and pretended to answer a text message when he was actually sending one.

"There is a lovely Benedictine monastery just outside of Aringay, beside the sea, and there you may find the peacefulness you seek," the bartender. "You should speak to Sister Austin, my sister. She would be able to tell you more about the history of the area and show you around."

"That would be kind of her," Ben said.

"Yes," the bartender said. "She, like you, appreciates history." Ben urged Will to hurry and they rushed back to their hotel.

"What the hell was that?" Will asked as they entered the hotel room. "We went looking for this Watanabe guy and all we got was a beer and tourist advice?"

"Son," Ben said gently.

"No. You know what? You and mom are going home. We don't have time to mess around with this stuff," Will stormed. Abigail stood up from the computer where Emily Anne had been bent over her shoulder.

"What's going on?" Emily Anne asked.

"You didn't find him?" Abigail asked.

"We spent all night talking to a sweaty bartender with three days worth of shadow on his fat face and all the further we got was that Watanabe is 'difficult to find'," Will growled.

"Will, you're not listening," Ben said.

"Oh, I was listening," Will retorted, "A convent by the sea full of cute little nuns who love history. Monastic communities don't go around hiding huge stashes of gold, dad!"

"William Clark!" Abigail cried, folding her arms over her chest.

"Will, what are you doing?" Emily Anne demanded.

Will—that *was* Hitoshi Watanabe," Ben said.

"What?" Will hissed.

"Why else would he ask all of those things? Why would he ask about what we wanted out of the treasure hunt?" Ben asked, waiting for the information to sink in.

"Uncle Riley said that the treasure allegedly is hidden in an underground cave--"

"…And that there was a golden Buddha guarding the entrance in a convent on the edge of the city," Ben finished. "It never said which city. Watanabe himself was here in Baguio, but the convent where the entrance is hidden is in Aringay."

Will sat down hard. He owed his father an apology but was shaking too hard to say it just yet.

"Dad…"

"I know, son. You're frustrated and I'm sorry I didn't make it clearer that the bartender was the man we were looking for. I didn't want to blow his cover," Ben said.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I blew my top and I shouldn't have," Will said.

"We're getting somewhere, Will, I promise," Ben said when Will got up to hug him. Will wandered over to kiss Emily Anne while Ben looked over at Abigail.

"You might want to sit down—I have bad news," Abigail murmured.

*************


	10. Treasuring Family

**10. Treasuring Family**

After Ben sat down, Abigail asked Will to get the others. He didn't have to go far, though, because they'd heard his yelling and wandered into the sitting room one by one. Charlie and Meri were the last to appear, looking a little rumpled. The moment she saw her twin, she demanded, "Since when did you start losing your temper, Will?"

"Not now, Charlotte," Abigail firmly told her daughter, the use of her full name bringing the younger woman up short. "Emily Anne and I just talked with Jacob and Nadya. They had a scare late last night, early this morning."

Abe leaned forward, gray eyes full of concern and worry. "Was it Mary, Dani, or Rachael?"

"No, it was Riley," she replied, patting his shoulder reassuringly. She knew better than the others his concern and worry for his daughter.

Ben caught his wife's hand, turning her to him, blue eyes wide with worry behind the glasses he now wore all the time. "What happened to Riley?"

"He had a heart attack," she told him gently, covering his hand with hers. "Between his worry for us--" she gestured to indicate not only them, but the others as well "--and his efforts to help from D.C., he strained his heart too much. He survived, but he's under orders to take it easy for now."

The patriarch of the Gates family closed his eyes, but not before the matriarch saw the grief that shadowed them. She wordlessly slid into his lap, wrapping her arms around him as silent tears slipped down his cheeks. Charlie and Will sat down on either side of their parents and hugged them, while Abe leaned over the back of the settee to rest his head against his parents', his hands resting on his father's shoulders. Emily Anne perched on the arm of the settee near her husband, gently stroking his shoulders. Meri stood by his wife, broad hands resting on her shoulders. Jamie stood by Abigail, lightly resting his hand on her back.

"I'm sorry," Ben finally whispered against Abigail's hair.

She shook her head, straightening up enough so she could catch his eyes with hers. "It's not your fault, Benjamin Franklin Gates. We're not as young as we used to be and it was bound to happen to one of us."

"If you're going to blame someone for the heart attack, blame Michelle Harper," Emily Anne volunteered as everyone slowly resumed their seats, except Abe, who settled on the floor by his parents' feet.

Ben stared at his daughter-in-law, puzzled. "Who is she?"

"Her maiden name is Wilkinson, if that rings any bells," Abigail answered, nestling comfortably against her husband.

He blinked, surprised. "Mitch had a daughter?"

"Yes, she was born a few months after Cibola," Emily Anne informed them. "From what Uncle Riley, Dad, and Janie dug up, she's had it in for Uncle Ben since she was little. They're pretty sure she blames him for Wilkinson's death."

Ben flinched at that, burying his face in Abigail's hair. She rubbed his back and shoulders soothingly. "_We_ know you tried to save him, Ben, but she either doesn't know or she refuses to accept that."

"Thanks, Abigail," he murmured, kissing her hair softly.

Emily Anne continued. "Michelle is the reason Bradford contacted you and asked you to search for the Yamashita treasure."

"If she wanted me to find the treasure, why would she try to kill me?" Ben looked puzzled by the seeming paradox.

Abigail pressed closer to him at that point. "For the same reason Mitch set you on the trail for Cibola, except he at least didn't want you dead."

"I didn't want _him_ to die, either" he whispered, his arms tightening around her as he remembered that day, the horrible finality of that stone door slamming down between them and Mitch. "For a long time afterwards, I kept going over it in my head, trying to think of something I could have done differently that would have ensured his survival." He let out a shuddering sigh. "In the end, he did the noble thing and kept the stone door open long enough for Mom and I to get out."

Will, Charlie, and Abe pressed closer to their parents, offering what comfort they could, unable to hide shudders at the thought of never knowing their grandmother. Quietly, Abigail reminded her husband, "You can't save everyone, Ben. Some puzzles aren't meant to be solved."

"I know." He sighed and kissed her hair once again, reaching up to acknowledge his children with touches of his hand to each of theirs.

Emily Anne leaned over Will's shoulder to tap her mother-in-law's shoulder. "Tell him."

"Tell me what?" Ben looked at his wife quizzically, wondering what his daughter-in-law meant.

Abigail pulled back enough to meet his eyes with hers. "Riley _did_ die for a few moments, Ben. While he was 'dead', he saw your parents and he said that they say 'hi'."

He stared at her for a long moment before he started to laugh and cry all at the same time, holding her close. She soon followed suit as she pressed against him, musing that it was a very Riley thing to say. The others waited patiently for them to calm down so they could plan their next move.

* * *

Carson stifled a groan of annoyance when Michelle's cell phone squawked for attention. Without being asked, he rolled over and retrieved it from the nightstand, handing it to her. She kissed his cheek in silent thanks before answering the phone, "What?"

"Gates and his son went to a bar." Rio's voice informed them, unperturbed by the undercurrent of annoyance in his cousin's voice. "They spent most of the evening there, and then returned to their hotel."

She closed her eyes briefly, and then looked up at the ceiling as if to ask for strength. "Did any of you happen to catch what they were talking about?"

"Eric got a good position to see their mouths," Rio reported. "The bartender suggested that Gates visit a monastery just outside of Aringay and speak to a Sister Austin."

Michelle nodded, pleased with that news. Eric had been born deaf and had had to learn sign language and could read lips fairly accurately. By the time he graduated high school, modern medicine had advanced enough that he was able to hear for the first time in his life. Though he'd since learned how to speak, he hadn't forgotten how to read lips and his cousin had often found it useful, as well as their knowledge of sign language. "Good. We head to Aringay first thing in the morning. Let the others know."

"Yes, Ma'am." Carson could almost see Rio saluting. "See you then."

His wife had a very satisfied smile on her face when she reached over to set the cell phone on the nightstand. "How can you be sure Gates wasn't just chatting idly to pass the time?"

"My father didn't have just the one clue to Cibola in his possession," she informed him with a wicked smirk on her face, pushing Carson onto his back.

As she moved to straddle his hips, he slid his hands along her sides, admiring her beauty. "You've had a clue to the Yamashita treasure in your possession all this time and never told me?"

"It didn't exactly do me much good without Gates' information." He moaned softly with pleasure as she undulated above him.

He gave up trying to hold a conversation with her in this mood. Maybe he could find out more later. He gasped when her body joined with his. Much later.

* * *

After they'd made their plans for the next day, Charlie caught her twin's sleeve. "Can I talk to you? It's important."

"Of course." Will turned to Emily Anne, who stood on his other side. "I'll be right there."

She glanced at her sister-in-law and nodded, turning to go into their room. Will turned back to his twin. "What's up?"

"This way," she towed him behind her to the room she and Meri shared. Her husband wasn't there, but Abe was, sitting cross-legged on the queen-sized bed. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "How'd I know you'd be in here, Abie?"

He mock-glared at her for using that particular nickname, as she knew he hated it. "Because Dad revealed something very important about what happened at Cibola. He never talks much about those last moments."

"For a good reason," Will commented reasonably, kicking off his shoes before he stretched out on the bed. "Those memories are emotionally intense for him and Mom."

Charlotte interrupted her brothers before they could talk further. "That's not what I wanted to talk about, Willy."

"Char, you're being moodier than usual," her twin retorted lightly, ignoring the glare she threw his way for using _that_ nickname. "What's wrong?"

Abe raised his hand while she struggled to articulate exactly what it was. "I think she's a little upset that you were actually _yelling_ earlier, Will."

"So?" He looked from his sister to his brother and back again. "I'm entitled to get upset from time to time, especially given the fact that I had no idea the bartender was the man we were looking for."

She perched on the bed facing her brothers. "It's not that, Will. You've always been the calm, steady one of the two of us. You've never raised your voice like you did tonight. It was more than a little disconcerting."

"Charlie, this whole treasure hunt has been straining my ability to remain calm and rational," Will gently explained, taking her hands in his. "I've been worrying about keeping everyone safe, and then it looked like Dad and I had completely wasted our time at the bar. It's enough to fray the nerves of a saint and I'm certainly not one myself."

Abe reached over to rest his hands on theirs. "You've always been our rock, Will. We just need to be reminded occasionally that even rocks can be knocked off balance when just the right amount of force is applied at just the right angle."

"I understand, but I shouldn't have to remind my sister that she has a husband who can be her rock as much as me," Will smiled gently at his twin to show that he understood her reasons for being upset.

Charlie had the grace to blush as she remembered that Meri had always been there for her. "Oh, yes. You're right about that."

"Just like I have Janie and Will has Emily Anne," Abe added with a grin.

The others laughed softly, any remaining uncertainty fading with that gentle, teasing reminder. Slowly, Abe grew serious. "You know, we have Mitch to thank for our lives."

"What do you mean?" Charlie stared at him. "We wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for him."

Will shook his head. "What he means is that Mitch helped Mom and Dad get back to together, as well as Grandma and Grandpa. We wouldn't have been born if he hadn't done that."

"That's not exactly it, though you're right about that." Abe wagged a finger at his brother. "I was thinking of what Dad said earlier, about Mitch being the reason he and Grandma survived Cibola. If he hadn't done whatever he did, Dad would have died there."

Charlie frowned. "If Mitch had gotten his way in the first place, Dad would have been the one to die there instead of him."

"Yeah, but he did the right thing in the end," Will countered, remembering something they'd been told long ago about those last moments in Cibola. "He opened the door long enough for Dad and Grandma to get out. Whatever else he did, he let Dad live."

Abe added something else. "And he probably insisted on being one of the ones who left because he wanted to get home to his wife and daughter as much to get credit for finding Cibola."

"Okay, okay, you two have made your points." Charlie mock-glared at her brothers, accepting that she'd been wrong to assume the worst about Wilkinson, especially in light of what the others had found out for them.

Will smirked and lounged back against the pillows. "Good to know we got through that thick skull of yours, Char."

"Hey!" She lunged for her twin and started tickling him.

He squirmed and wriggled, trying to escape her, but she knew him too well. Instead of retaliating in kind, he grabbed one of the pillows he'd been leaning against and hit her with it. She was so surprised that it knocked her off balance and he scrambled away from her. "That's what you get for tickling me!"

"I'm not through with you!" She snatched up one of the other pillows and lunged forward to pummel him with it.

Will dodged away at the last second, so Charlie ended up hitting Abe hitting instead. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Abe." The grin on her face belied her words, however.

Scrambling for the head of the bed, he armed himself with a pillow, too. The three siblings were soon pummeling each other indiscriminately with their pillows, giggling madly. That is, until there was a knock on the door and their mother entered. "What on earth is going on in here?"

"Um, nothing?" Abe offered this up with his most charming smile, the one that reminded his mother so very much of his father.

Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the same effect on her when it was her son that it did when it was her husband. She folded her arms across her chest and responded with a glare. "Nice try, Mister, but no cigar." She looked pointedly at her watch. "I suggest you three break it up so we can go to bed and get some sleep."

"Yes, Mom!" they chorused, aware that it was meant as an order, even though it had been phrased as a suggestion.

Just before she closed the door, Abigail picked up a stray pillow and threw it unerringly so it hit her youngest in the face. Grinning cheekily, she told them, "Don't lie next time."

After a moment of stunned silence, the three siblings burst into laughter. Even after all this time, their mother could still surprise them.

* * *

Twelve hours ahead of the others, Riley grumbled as his wife steered his wheelchair from his hospital room. "Why do I need a wheelchair? I feel fine now."

Walking along next to the wheelchair, his oldest daughter gave him a glare worthy of Emily Appleton-Gates. "In case you forgot, Dad, you had a _heart attack_ yesterday. Forgive us for not wanting you to over-exert yourself and risk having another one."

"Walking will not over-exert my heart, Cris," he objected with a glare for her.

Jacqui interrupted them firmly as they stepped and rolled onto an elevator, thankfully empty of all other passengers. "Stop antagonizing your father, Cris. Riley, we're being careful because we love you and don't want to lose you."

"But--" He stopped when he saw his wife's face. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, chin trembling a little. "Hey." He gently tugged on her hand until she leaned down. Quietly, he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere any time soon. Stop worrying."

She hugged him as tightly as she dared. "I was so scared I was going to lose you, Riley."

"Emily sent me back for a reason, Jacqui," he told her, gently rubbing her back. "I wouldn't dare die so soon after she went to all that effort of sending me back in the first place."

Just as he intended, that comment made his wife laugh through the few tears that had managed to trickle down her cheeks. Reluctantly, she straightened up. When she moved to resume her place behind the wheelchair, Riley didn't let go of her hand. She looked at him curiously and he twined their fingers together. She nodded and looked at her daughter. "Cris, would you mind pushing the wheelchair?"

"Not at all, Mom." Tucking a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear, Cris slid behind the wheelchair just as the elevator doors opened, letting them out on the ground floor.

Mary Elizabeth waited outside the hospital with the car, opening the passenger door so Riley could get in. While his wife and daughters climbed into their seats and buckled up, a gurgle from the backseat startled him. Twisting around, he grinned when he saw Mary Emily in her car seat, waving her tiny hands at him. "Hey, Spitfire. Where's your mom?"

"Janie couldn't come, but she knew you'd want to see Mary Em here," Mary Elizabeth explained as Riley stretched an arm back towards his granddaughter. "So she insisted we bring her along."

He smiled as four tiny fingers and matching thumb wrapped around his index finger. "I'll have to thank her for that."

His wife and daughters exchanged pleased glances before Jacqui started the car and pulled away from the curb. It was enough for them that he was still alive to _thank_ his daughter for her thoughtfulness.

**End Chapter**


	11. Chasing the Treasure Secret

**Chapter 11**

**Chasing the Treasured Secret**

When Michelle and her caravan were loading the vehicles the next day, it was still very early morning. The sun was sliding slowly up from the horizon and gleaming over the rugged, rocky terrain. Michelle stood watching the sunrise and took a breath of the fresh air as the boys finished packing and was only a little surprised when Carson wound his arms around her shoulders. She offered him a soft smile and then turned back to the rising sun.

"Are you all right?" Carson asked gently.

"Yeah," Michelle said, touching his arm reassuringly. "It's just that I've been chasing the opportunity to make Gates pay for what he did to my dad for most of my life and now it's so close…it's just kind of surreal, you know?"

"Yeah," Carson said, kissing her temple. "I know. It's all going to be over soon."

*************

"Don't you spend too long on that computer, Riley Poole," Jacqui warned when Riley sank into his favorite chair in the great room and pulled his laptop into his lap.

"Yes, Mrs. Poole," he replied with a cheeky smile. Jacqui crossed the room and leaned over him, bracing her hands on the arms of the chair before kissing his lips, savoring the boyish softness that his mouth never quite outgrew.

"I love you," Jacqui whispered.

"I love you, too," Riley replied, smiling as he playfully nudged her nose with his. Jacqui stood, crossed back to the other side of the room and lifted their granddaughter out of the playpen, setting her in Riley's lap.

"All right!" Riley said affectionately. "I've got an assistant!"

"You and your 'assistant' make sure that you don't stay up too late," Jacqui teased.

"You got it, honey," Riley replied. Jacqui smiled and left them, bound for the family room where Jacob and Nadya were settling in to watch T.V. with the girls. The internet connection on Riley's laptop whirred and clicked to life as Riley clicked various icons and opened programs while baby Mary Emily watched wide-eyed and patted her little hands on the smooth surface of the computer.

"That's a girl…grandpa's little genius…" Riley murmured. Mary cooed when the video connection opened a window that took up half of the desktop screen and bleeped until someone came to answer it on the other end and Ben's tired face stared back at them.

"Good morning, Ben," Riley said, smiling as a yawn escaped Ben's mouth. When he saw Riley, though, his exhaustion seemed to fade and his eyes lit up.

"Good morning, indeed!" Ben said. "How are you feeling? God, it's good to see you up and around!"

"I'm still in some pain, but the doctor says I'll live," Riley replied over Mary's grunts and coos as she fumbled to try to press buttons and emulate her grandfather.

"I'm glad…we really thought we were going to lose you," Ben said.

"I'm actually glad I got you this morning, Ben. I kind of wanted to talk to you about something," Riley said.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked. Riley debated how much to tell him…but these were his parents, and Ben deserved to know everything.

"When my heart stopped, I had a pretty crazy experience," Riley said.

"Abigail said you saw my mom and dad," Ben said.

"Yeah…it was like waking up at home—you know, that room I spent the night in all the time at your mom and dad's—and they were both there holding my hands when I was trying to wake up," Riley explained. Ben suddenly seemed to realize what Riley was trying to say.

"They said something to you, didn't they? It wasn't to say hi, was it?" Ben said. Riley bit his bottom lip and then nodded.

"Your mom was more verbal than your dad as usual," Riley said with a smile. "She said it wasn't my time yet, as cliché as that sounds. She said my family needed me, that you needed me. Your dad told me that they always considered me a son and that they couldn't have asked for a better brother for you." Tears were streaming down Ben's cheeks. He knew that those were things that Riley couldn't have made up—it had to be true. Hearing him sniffle back tears, Abigail slowly rose from the bed and came to wrap her hands around his shoulders.

"Your mom told me to take care of everyone for them," Riley added. "and your dad said that they love us…all of us…and then next thing I knew I was waking up with Jacqui, Jacob and Nadya." He stroked baby Mary's head when she turned to try to look at him. As Riley dried his eyes, another beep went off on his end of the computer and it drew his attention as well as Mary's.

"What is it?" Will asked, the other kids having gathered at the end of Riley's story.

"I finally got a lo-jack on a van that Michelle Harper rented when they got to the Philippines," Riley said. He squinted at the screen for a moment and then wrapped his hand around the baby as he shifted to sit up straighter in the chair.

"What's wrong?" Ben demanded.

"She's there! You guys must have spent the night in the same hotel without even knowing it! I don't think she knows she's found you yet—Ben, get out of there!" Riley replied.

"Shit!" Meri hissed and then yelled, "Everybody move!" Ben abandoned the chair and Abe started unhooking equipment.

"Hi, sweetie!" Abe said, quickly waving at his little girl. "Tell Janie I love her. Glad you're back, Uncle Riley!" He slapped the laptop closed and the video connection went to black static. Riley reached around his granddaughter and typed and clicked as he sent the information speeding across the airwaves to the team's laptops. Jacqui, Nadya, and Jane came in to find out what was going on and Jane took the baby so that Riley could work more easily while he explained what had happened.

"Oh, my God," Jane said. "Are they going to make it out?"

"If I have anything to do with it, baby girl, they will," Riley replied without looking up. When the video connection snapped back to life, they were staring back at Charlotte.

"We're on the road, Uncle Riley!" Charlotte called. "Coordinates, GPS, and road conditions feeds are online and email is streaming in as we speak."

"I thought you guys were on motorcycle," Jacqui asked over Riley's shoulder.

"We didn't feel like watching Emily Anne toss her cookies on the side of the road again," Charlotte replied. "So we traded one of the motorcycles for a car."

"Charlie!" Emily Anne squealed from the back seat.

"Enough, or you're both walking," Will retorted, silencing his wife and twin sister.

"I'd forgotten that she gets so motion sick," chuckled Riley.

"You have no idea," Nadya mumbled so only they could hear it and then calling out, "Hi, baby!"

"Hi, mom!" Emily Anne and Jamie replied in unison.

"We tried to put mom and dad in the car with us but you know dad," huffed Charlotte.

"And anywhere dad goes, mom's gotta go, too," Will added.

"Which is how they both got into this in the first place," Jacob added.

"Exactly!" all four voices in the car chorused.

*************

"Did you hear that?" Rio asked no one in particular as he stowed the last pack in the small car that was to follow the research van.

"What?" Michelle said.

"Motorcycle…" Gard said, turning toward the sound. No more did they hear it, but two motorcycles and a car pulled around the hotel and eased out onto the highway, picking up speed as they went along.

"Gates!" Michelle yelled.

"We were on top of them the whole time?" Carson shouted.

"Don't lose them!" Gard added, pushing everyone toward the vehicles.

"Get the GPS running! Find us a shortcut to Aringay that will get us there before them!" Michelle demanded, dropping into the passenger seat of the van and Carson turned the key.

"What shortcut? There aren't that many roads around here, Michelle!" Rio shouted.

"Just go!" Michelle shouted at him. Eric was at a computer station in the back of the van, typing as fast as his hands could go, avoiding Michelle's wrath. "We didn't get this far to lose them now!"

*************


	12. Derailed Treasure Hunt

**12. Derailed Treasure Hunt**

"Okay, feeding you the lo-jack information for Michelle Harper's van so you can keep an eye on her," Riley's voice filtered through the speakers on the laptop.

After a moment of clicking and typing, Charlotte nodded. "Got it, Uncle Riley. Now go get some rest. Uncle Jacob and Janie can help us if we need mad computer skillz."

"You're not my mother," Riley objected, though it was interrupted by a yawn.

Jamie leaned forward from his seat behind Charlotte to address the pickup directly. "Uncle Riley, we'd like to see you when we get home from this hunt. Please take care."

"Fine, fine," Riley grumbled and the connection dropped as he shut down the computer.

The silence that reigned after that was broken only by the sounds of Charlotte checking e-mail and typing responses. Eventually, the sound of a light rain added itself to the background of their thoughts. As he turned on the windshield wipers, Will commented, "Maybe we should have rented a van instead of a car."

"Dad's a good motorcyclist. He can handle a bit of rain." Despite how confidently she spoke, Charlotte still bit her lip as she stared out the window at the increasing rain.

"And this rain will make it more difficult for Michelle to track us," Jamie offered hopefully. "That's always a plus."

Will peered through the windshield as he turned up the wipers to their fastest setting. "Yes, but it's not helping us follow Dad, either."

Emily Anne sighed as she peered out the window at the driving rain. "That's what the GPS is for, Will. It's our back-up in case we lose the others."

"Yes, dear." Will made a pointedly ignored the smirk his twin sister gave him that clearly said 'you are so whipped'.

* * *

Michelle cursed as the driving rain forced Carson to slow down even more. "Of all the times for it to rain, it had to be now."

"That doesn't matter. We know Gates is heading to Aringay," Carson pointed out, trying to keep Michelle from losing her temper and her patience. "Not to mention they can't go much faster than us in this rain."

She gave a huff of annoyance. "If we don't get there when they do, we'll have to waste time looking for them to figure out where to go next."

"Or we could try to figure it out on our own, you know," Carson suggested, keeping his eyes on the road. "We have an idea of what we're looking for already."

Michelle folded her arms across her chest. "Why should we bother doing the research when we know Gates will do it for us?"

Carson stifled a sigh and kept driving. _I hope whoever's on those motorcycles is managing this storm okay..._

* * *

"Doing okay back there?" Abigail's voice crackled in Abe and Meri's helmets as they followed the other motorcycle.

Abe answered for both of them, since Meri was busy coping with the wet roads, just like Ben. "Yeah, Mom. Just being extra careful."

"Good. Take care on the curves, Meri," Abigail replied, sounding a little breathless.

Meri grunted and Abe patted his brother-in-law's back reassuringly. "We'll be fine, Mom. Don't fuss too much."

"That's like telling the ocean to dry up," Ben suddenly commented. "Never going to happen."

The two young men chuckled as Abigail exclaimed, "Ben!"

"He's right, Mom, you have to admit," Abe retorted, grinning under his helmet.

She gave a huff that was equal parts exasperation and grudging acceptance. "There's a steep grade here, Meri. Take care."

"Whoa!" Abe and Meri spoke in unison just moments later. "Look out, Meri!"

His brother-in-law cursed. "I know, Abe! Jump off!"

"What about you?" Abe demanded.

No answer came from the engineer. Instead, a grunt from Abe echoed in Ben and Abigail's helmets. Without a word, Ben turned the motorcycle around to head back the way they'd come. Their headlight illuminated Abe just getting to his feet on the side of the road. Abigail barely waited for Ben to stop before she climbed off the bike and dashed to her youngest child, tearing off her helmet and tossing it aside. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom, just a little banged up," he assured her after he'd taken his helmet off.

Ben came up behind them as the car they'd rented turned the corner and lit them up with its headlights. "Where's Meri?"

"Down that way." Abe indicated the hillside below them. "I guess he took the turn too wide. We sort of slid instead of straightening up. Then he managed to push me off. I couldn't see where he went after that, thanks to this rain."

The car pulled to a stop and the other four jumped out. Charlotte marched over to her brother and demanded, "Where's my husband?"

"We don't know yet, Charlie, but we're going to find him." Ben took his daughter's shoulders and met her eyes steadily. "Okay? Don't panic."

Will had his cell phone out when his father and sister approached the car. "I called the emergency services. They're sending an ambulance from the closest village. It's too dangerous to fly a helicopter is this weather."

"Thanks, Will." Ben patted his son's shoulder as they passed him on their way to the back of the car. "Could you pop the trunk?"

Nodding, the older twin reached in and pulled the lever to unlock the trunk. After some digging, Ben and Charlotte found enough flashlights for all of them to use in their search for Meri. Jamie had the forethought to set road flares to warn oncoming drivers and let the ambulance know where they were. After the flashlights had been passed out, the seven of them spread out along the hillside to begin looking for Meri. There was no telling what sort of condition he'd be in when they finally found him.

* * *

Michelle cursed as the headlights of their van revealed a barricade across the road. Slowing to a stop, Carson rolled down the window to speak with police officer. "What's wrong, officer? Is the road washed out?"

"Car accident," the officer explained in accented English. "You take detour."

Carson looked in the direction the policeman indicated and nodded. "Thank you, officer."

"You're welcome." The policeman stood back as Carson turned the van to take the detour, followed by Rio in smaller car.

Once they were back on their way, Carson asked, "Do you think the accident has anything to do with Gates?"

"We should be so lucky," Michelle muttered, frowning as she searched for news about the accident on her cell phone. "Then I wouldn't have to worry about doing it myself."

He shrugged, keeping his speed slow as the road started going downhill. "We'll find out when we get to Aringay, I expect."

"Just keep driving."

* * *

As the first one up in the morning, Nadya answered the insistent beeping of the computer in the living room. Jamie's face gazed back at her, streaked with dried mud, his blond hair almost brown with the same mud. "Jaime? What's wrong?"

"Meri was in an accident, Mom," he told her, his voice hitching a little. "It's just our luck that the rainiest location in the Philippines decided to let loose on us while we were traveling downhill."

Nadya's hand flew to her throat, to the locket her children had given her for mother's day before Meri had graduated from high school. "What happened?"

"Abe said Meri had trouble keeping control of the bike on a turn and slid out, towards the hill." Jamie paused and let out a shaky breath. "He managed to push Abe off, so he only got bumped around a little, but Meri--"

She resisted the temptation to shake the computer screen when her son paused again. "Is Meri all right? He's not dead, is he?"

"No, but he scraped up his left leg pretty good and managed to dislocate that hip." Jamie wiped his eyes. "Thank goodness Uncle Ben insisted that we wear proper leathers and full-face helmets. Meri's injuries could have been a lot worse."

Nadya nodded, letting out a relieved breath. "I don't suppose you'll be able to sneak the laptop into his room so I can see him for myself?"

"I doubt it." Jamie smiled wryly. "Doctors and nurses are the same all over the world: nothing that could possibly over excite the patients, even when they're bored stupid."

"It was worth asking." Nadya glanced up when someone touched her shoulder. Her husband stood by the chair, a questioning look on his face. "Meri was injured in an accident, but Jamie said he'll survive."

Jacob's grip on the back of her chair tightened as the blood drained from his face. Standing up, Nadya urged her husband to sit down in the chair, and then perched in his lap. Jamie smiled wryly when he saw his father. "Hi, Dad."

After a couple tries, Jacob eventually found his voice. "How did Meri get in an accident? Did Michelle run him off the road or something?"

"No, we haven't even _seen_ her." Jamie shook his head, and then repeated what he'd told Nadya.

Jacob listened in silence, his arms tight around his wife. When Jamie finished, Jacob asked, "Is Charlie in with Meri right now?"

"Duh." Jamie grinned. "It took Will, Abe, and I combined to keep her from going into the operating room with him."

Nadya and Jacob laughed at that. "What about Ben? Why wasn't he helping you?"

"He was holding Aunt Abigail back." Another grin from Jamie accompanied his answer. He looked up just then as if someone had called his name. "Gotta go now. Emily Anne's been with him and Charlie and now it's my turn."

Jacob held up a hand before Jamie could turn off the connection. "Let him know we're thinking of him, please?"

"I was going to anyway." Jamie smiled sadly. "Oop, Abe's here. He'll talk to you."

The youngest Bonner got up and gave way to the youngest Gates, who chatted with his adopted aunt and uncle until Emily Anne could come and reassure them that Meri was fine and would be able to talk to them the following morning--evening for them. After they closed the video connection, Jacob and Nadya just held each other, praying that their oldest would recover quickly from his injuries.

**End Chapter**


	13. Home is a Treasure, Too

**Chapter 13**

**Home is a Treasure, Too**

_A.N.: ringtone song is "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City _

Abe Gates lowered his head into his shaking hands as he slouched in a chair in a stark, white waiting room, the soft hum of air conditioning was the only sound and even the quiet that should have been soothing couldn't get the events of the night and subsequent morning out of his head. The rest of the family was divided between sitting with Meri, or sitting in the lobby downstairs trying to figure out what to do next. Meri would need physical therapy and would be on crutches for a long time and as much as he hated to admit it, they didn't have time to wait for Meri to keep up. Meri would never admit defeat and Abe himself couldn't even begin to think of how to tell him to do so.

"_The stars lean down to kiss you, and I lie awake and miss you, pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere…cause I'll doze off safe and soundly but I'll miss your arms around me, I'd send a postcard to you dear, because I wish that you were here…" _Abe's phone rang out. He smiled at the sound—it was the ringtone that he and Jane each had for one another—and flipped it open.

"How'd you know I needed you right now?" he murmured.

"Call it a hunch," Jane said. She would never admit that she'd already talked to Charlie and knew that if Charlie was distraught that Abe probably was, too.

"You know about Meri?" Abe said tiredly. It was almost lunch time in the Philippines, which meant Jane was up late.

"Yes. I also know that you were on that motorcycle, too, Abraham," Jane said. She never used his full name like that unless she was unthinkably worried.

"Is that why you're still awake over there?" he asked gently, starting to smile as he slouched the other direction, leaning back against the back of the chair and letting his head rest against the wall.

"Mostly. At the moment I'm in a rocking chair with your daughter," Jane replied. Now that he was listening for it, he could hear little Mary grunting softly as she fought sleep with all her might.

"Kiss her for me," Abe said, chuckling as Jane did so immediately, whispering to their baby that daddy loves her and misses her.

"So, what's the next move?" Jane asked when she came back to the conversation.

"I was just thinking about that. The rest of the family is downstairs in the lobby while Charlie says goodnight to Meri and I just needed to find some place quiet. I'm still wrapping my head around the idea that I got out of this with bumps and scratches and Meri's the one lying in a hospital bed," said Abe.

"You know what they have to do," Jane said. "You just don't want to say it."

"Yeah…that's about it," Abe said.

"I know you can do it," Jane said. "You can be honest with them. They'll take it better from you than from anyone else."

"Why do you say that?" Abe asked.

"Because if it comes from Will, or from Uncle Ben and Aunt Abigail, then it will make it sound like it's just an excuse to make sure that it's a Gates that discovers the treasure," Jane said.

"…and if we send Charlie home with him then it doesn't make it sound like a family thing," Abe concluded.

"Exactly."

"I love you, Janie," Abe said, imagining what she looked like cuddling and rocking their little Mary Emily.

"Mary's asleep….I have to go put her down and get some sleep. Take good care of yourself for me, Abe," Jane said softly.

"Good night, honey," Abe said. When he closed the phone, Abe stood and went to return to Meri's room, catching Charlie as she was coming out of the room.

"Hey, sis," Abe said. "I need to talk to the two of you. Come on," Abe said.

"What's wrong?" Charlie said.

"Abe, is everything okay?" asked Meri sleepily. Abe explained his conversation with Jane and then gently made his suggestion.

"You guys know how much I love you, so I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but a decision needs to be made where we go from here as a team," Abe said.

"What are you suggesting?" Meri asked before Charlie could jump to conclusions and yell at her brother.

"I think you and Charlie should go home," Abe said. There was a silence as Charlie folded her arms across her chest and Meri looked down at the blankets for a few moments.

"He's right," Meri finally said.

"Meri…" Charlie said.

"I'll only slow everyone down and slowing down is dangerous when we have Michelle Harper after dad on top of everything else," Meri said.

"We'll figure something else out," Charlie insisted.

"I just did figure it out, Charlie. We're going home," Meri countered. "I miss my parents, I miss the baby…our mission is done, Charlie. We found Uncle Ben and Aunt Abigail. Baby, let's go home." Charlie turned around, trying in vain to keep her husband from seeing her cry. She didn't want to let her brothers once again be the treasure hunters while she sat home, but she knew that Meri was right. If the hospital released him to go home, there wouldn't be anywhere safe there in the Philippines and Meri would need her help to get around. Abe was right; flying home was their best option. Edging gently into that fury that came from feeling like she had no other choice was the thought of being home. Home with Meri safe to recover from the accident, home with their little Dani…

"Charlie?" Meri said, reaching up to touch her back.

"All right…we'll go home," she said quietly, finally turning around face them.

"I know this sucks, Charlie," Abe said.

"Sucks? You and dad and Will get to go fulfill the family reputation for being world-famous treasure hunters and I get to go home and sit on my hands now that we're SO close! Historians have said for *years* that the Yamashita hoard didn't exist and now that we have proof that it's there, now that we're a day's drive from the goal, Meri and I have to leave! 'Sucks' doesn't even begin to cover it!" Charlie growled. Abe bit his tongue and with it, the urge to tell his sister that he would gladly take her place if it meant one less day without Janie and Mary. He stifled the urge to remind her that no matter what treasure is on the line, that her husband should be first in her life, and finally, softly, told them that he'd go and tell their mom and dad that the decision had been made.

By the time the extended family had had lunch, it was decided that Jamie would accompany the young Bonners home. Doing so would enable the team to cut back to just one vehicle. There were hugs, kisses and tears at the airport two days later, and then the team of eight were suddenly just five.

*************

"Aw, man, American soil," Jamie muttered good-naturedly as they left the plane and entered the terminal. "Home sweet home."

"If it's so sweet, why do I feel so guilty for leaving my whole family over there?" Charlie said softly.

"Hey, your family is here, too," Meri said, hobbling along-side her on his crutches. Charlie turned to look at him and smiled back at his handsome grin before she kissed him softly.

"Jamie!" cried a voice. Jamie's blonde hair tumbled in his eyes as he whirled and was suddenly smothered by his sister, Maggie. A second later, he returned her embrace tightly and laughed.

"I missed you, too," Jamie said. Maggie moved to hug Meri as tightly as she dared and then hugged Charlie, too. Jamie turned in the direction that his sister had appeared from and took 3 steps forward into his father's arms.

"My baby!" Charlie cried, hugging her mother-in-law carefully before lifting little Danielle into her arms, hugging her against her shoulder as Meri stroked her little head and kissed her ear before stepping around them to embrace his parents.

"Where's Janie?" Jamie asked.

"The others are keeping vigil at home. Midnight breakfast, anyone?" Nadya replied. She helped Charlie put the sling on so that she could carry Danielle and still carry her backpack.

"American food…" Meri said as they descended in an escalator to get to the baggage carousel. "That in itself was a good reason to come home."

"Grandma Em's pancakes?" Charlie chanced asking.

"You bet," Jacob said, patting her back as they continued to get the luggage.

"Scrambled eggs and bacon?" Meri added.

"And sausage for Charlie," Maggie said, knowing well that the younger Bonners were fond of swiping food off each other's plates.

"Have you heard from the others?" Meri asked when they got to the car.

"Just once while you guys were in the air to let us know that you were on your way home with not just Charlie but Jamie, too," Nadya said, ruffling her youngest son's hair, "and that they were getting back on the road."

"Aringay is the next stop," Charlie said, buckling the seatbelt on Danielle's car seat before getting into the car herself.

"That's where that monastery is, right?" Jacob said.

"That's right," Charlie said.

"It's been three days. I wonder how far that Michelle woman got without you guys to do all the work for her," Jacob said.

"We're about to find out," Jamie said.

*************

"Penny for your thoughts, Carson," Michelle teased, looking up from a magazine that she was reading. The Marcos Highway twisted and turned through the rocky, mountainous island, worming its way toward the sea. It had been especially tricky for them to navigate, and now that they had arrived in small Aringay, they were resting in the van after a small lunch.

"I've just been thinking, that's all," Carson said softly.

"What about?" Michelle asked.

"Something you said the other night. When we passed that accident scene, you said that we should be so lucky if it was Gates that had been injured or killed, because then you wouldn't have to do it yourself," Carson replied.

"Yeah, what about it?" Michelle said. Rio tried to hide a little of the tension between his shoulders, not wanting the two in the front seat to know that he was nervous, but perceptive Eric noticed, and cautious Gard turned back to his laptop where he was attempting to play a game.

"What if Gates really is dead, 'Chelle?" Carson said. "If he's gone, why are we out here risking our lives to find the treasure before he does?"

"We've been through this, Car," Michelle said, hints of irritation sneaking into her voice.

"Not without Gates in the picture we haven't," Carson replied. "You're so blind-sided by this thing between Gates and your dad that you're willing to risk all of us getting arrested, imprisoned or killed to get your revenge!"

"All of the above?" Rio meekly added.

"Shut up!" Carson and Michelle shouted from the front seats of the van before turning back to each other.

"I thought you were with me on this," Michelle demanded.

"I'm with you to the ends of the earth, honey, but this is becoming self destructive," Carson said. "We can't even prove that Gates had anything to do with your dad losing his life in that cave!"

There was utter silence as Michelle processed this. Carson was her husband, she loved him, and knew that he had always believed implicitly in her crusade to locate lost treasure, but she had never considered that her vengeance was reaching too far. She and her mother, God rest her, had believed with every fiber of their beings that Benjamin Gates was responsible for the death of the most important man in their lives, and refused to accept the story that Ben and his family had reported for the record, stating that Mitch had held vital clues that helped them all ultimately find the lost city of gold. They hadn't believed that Mitch would choose to die rather than sacrifice Gates. By the time he found the guts to speak again, he'd lowered his voice.

"Michelle…"

"Shut up," she murmured, folding her arms across her chest and looking away from him.

"If I remember anything about what you told me, your dad was a smart, determined, guy who usually got what he wanted by twisting the arm of the right person. He might have made some questionable choices," Carson began, pausing when Michelle finally turned to look at him, her cold blue eyes flashing.

"But beyond all that, he was an honorable man. It wasn't just Gates' life that he was holding in his hands—he knew that a man's entire family, his whole world, was at stake if something wasn't done. Your dad sacrificed himself for something noble," Carson continued. Michelle spontaneously got out of the van, slamming the door behind her and taking a few steps into the afternoon downpour. Carson's expression changed completely as he followed suit, getting out of the driver's side and slamming the door behind him before following his wife across the parking lot. Michelle whirled to face him and wiped the wet hair and fading makeup out of eyes before shouting to get above the boom of thunder and the splattering sound of the rain pouring out of the skies.

"But what about *his* family, Car? What about my mom? What about me?" Michelle shouted, her clothes soaking and sticking to her skin.

"Goddamn it, Michelle, not everything is about you!" Carson screamed. "Your dad knew that!"

Michelle slapped her husband across his handsome face, her chest heaving with rage.

"Don't talk about my dad like you knew him! You don't know shit about him!" she screamed in return.

"Maybe not!" Carson continued. "But I'm in love with his daughter, God help me, and I won't watch her destroy herself trying to kill a man who did exactly everything he could go get everyone out!" Michelle didn't know how to respond, and all the frustration and loss spilled out in tears masked by the rain. Carson swept her into his arms and she crumpled again him, sobbing and shaking as he clutched her tightly and told her it was all right.

"I love you, too," she sobbed into his ear before resting her head against his shoulder again. Michelle and Carson stood this way a few more minutes before Eric hesitantly called for them to get back into the van.

Wrapped in towels and still shivering, the Harpers shared the front seat of the van while their companions breathed just a little easier. Michelle snuggled against Carson's chest and closed her eyes while she listened to his heart beat.

"'Chelle?" Carson murmured, stroking her hair as she looked up. "Let's go home. We don't need this treasure to prove anything. We have the company at home to take care of, and we have us to take care of…let's go home."

"No," Michelle said softly. She shook her head and continued, "I've been thinking about it and…we do need to find it. Dad's search for Cibola was a tragedy, but my search for Yamashita doesn't have to be."

"What are you saying?" Carson asked.

"We're going to help them, Car," Michelle said. "We're going to go and find Gates and his kids and we're going to help them find the treasure."

*************


	14. Seeking Treasure

**14. Seeking Treasure**

While the others settled into their hotel rooms in Aringay, Abe set up their laptop in the common area. He flipped through the brochures the concierge had given them when they checked in while he waited for the webcam to connect. At the sound of the beep to confirm the connection, he looked up and grinned. "Hey, Gimp! How was the flight?"

"It was okay. Charlie's still sleeping off the jet lag." Meri smiled faintly at the thought. "It's weird looking at you on a computer screen."

Abe grinned, sitting back a little. "It's weird for me, too. How are your parents?"

"Mom is Mom." Meri rolled his eyes with fond exasperation. "She fusses over me."

The younger of the two chuckled. "She's a mom. That's part of her job."

"I know." The older of the two looked up as he answered, a grin appearing on his face. "Speak of the angel, here's Mom."

Nadya stepped around to stand behind Meri, Danielle cradled in her arms. "Nice save, Sweetie."

"Come to Daddy." Meri reached up and carefully eased his daughter into his arms, green eyes serene as she nestled against him.

Abe swallowed the lump of longing that the sight conjured in his throat. He longed to hold his own daughter like that. "Hi, Aunt Nadya."

"Hello, Abe. Did you make it safely?" Nadya asked, leaning over her oldest son's shoulder to address the webcam.

He nodded. "Yeah, the others are settling in right now."

"Who's on the horn?" Jane's voice drifted in from the background at that moment.

Abe cleared his throat before calling, "Hi, Honey!"

"Abe!" Jane suddenly peered over Meri's other shoulder, a bittersweet smile on her face. "I miss you and little Mary Em does, too."

Meri chuckled as he maneuvered his rolling chair out of the way so Jane wasn't hanging over him. "He's all yours, Jane."

"Thanks, Meri." She smiled briefly at him before returning her attention to the webcam.

He smiled fondly as he drank in the sight of his wife. "I miss you, too, Honey. I think we're close to finding the treasure. We'll hopefully be home very soon."

"It won't be soon enough," she told him quietly, uncharacteristically serious.

He reached out to touch the screen, tracing her cheek with his fingertip. "I know."

* * *

Abigail and Emily went to the monastery together to find Sister Austin. The woman who met with them was petite and soft-spoken with black curly hair kept short, toffee-colored skin set off by the white of her peasant blouse, and the pale gray of her skirt matching the color of the eyes behind her wire-rimmed spectacles. "Welcome to our humble monastery. How may my sisters and I be of service?"

"We're searching for Yamashita's gold," Abigail explained without hesitating, deciding subtly was a waste of time at this point in their search. "My husband was told that you in particular could help us find it."

The slight smile that had curved her lips disappeared at Abigail's question. "Many have sought this treasure and none have found it. Some have even lost their lives."

"We understand," Abigail leaned forward in her seat while Emily Anne remained relaxed and calm. "Our only desire in finding the treasure is to restore the history it represents to the peoples of this region."

A delicate black eyebrow curved upward. "You do not wish for the wealth it represents?"

"That has never been our goal," Abigail replied with a faint smile. "Our goal is to restore a piece of lost history to the world."

Sister Austin's slight smile returned. "Below this monastery, there's a network of catacombs. Hidden somewhere in that network is the treasure you seek."

"Do you know _where_ in the catacombs it is hidden?" Emily Anne asked the question, leaning forward in her seat as well.

A regretful smile answered the question before Sister Austin said a word. "Unfortunately, no. You will have to discover that on your own."

"Salamat sa iyong oras," Emily Anne told her as she and Abigail rose to their feet.

Sister Austin smiled warmly. "Walang problema."

The two women took turns shaking Sister Austin's hand and left her office together. Once they were outside, Abigail asked, "What did you say?"

"I thanked her for her time and she said it was no problem," Emily Anne explained with a calm smile, obviously quite pleased with herself.

Abigail nodded, chuckling. "That's what I thought."

* * *

The three men were waiting for the two women when they left the monastery. Abe, the most impatient of the three, asked, "What did she have to say?"

"There's a network of catacombs under the monastery," Abigail explained, her smile fondly indulgent of her younger son. "The treasure is hidden there."

As Ben and Abigail exchanged a hug and a kiss, Emily Anne added, "Unfortunately, the sister couldn't say exactly _where_ the treasure is in the catacombs."

"I guess we'll have to search the old-fashioned way," Ben mused, resting his cheek against Abigail's hair.

Will glanced at his brother mischievously. "If Cris were with us, we could use Widget to do some exploring for us."

"And have Cris mutter and complain about not being in the field again?" Abe raised an eyebrow. "No, thank you."

The others chuckled. "Well, the catacombs are bound to be partially submerged, so we'll need proper equipment before we do proper exploring." Ben paused as he took in the expressions on the others' faces. "But we could go have a brief look right now to see what we'll need."

"Nice recovery," Abigail murmured to her husband as they made their way around the monastery and down to the entrance for the caverns.

The five of them stopped short when they saw the two people waiting for them: Michelle and Carson Harper. Once he recovered from his shock, Will deliberately stepped between her and his father. "What do _you_ want?"

"We wanted to offer our apologies," Michelle replied. Carson nudged her with his elbow and she shot him a brief glare. "Okay, _I_ wanted to offer _my_ apologies."

Abe moved to stand beside his brother, gray eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Apologies for what, and why change it to just _your_ apologies?"

"I never agreed with Chelle's thirst for vengeance," Carson explained, dark eyes calm as he met Will and Abe's eyes in turn. "But when you love a strong-willed woman, you have to pick and choose your battles."

The three men couldn't help chuckling a little at that. Abigail swatted Ben's shoulder in reply and Emily Anne punched her husband's arm. Michelle glared briefly at Carson before adding, "Or wear us down to his point of view."

"Is that what happened?" Ben placed his hands on his sons' shoulders and gently eased them apart so he could face Michelle as an equal. "Carson wore you down?"

Michelle nodded, and then shook her head. "Yes, Carson has been spending a long time trying to make me see that seeking vengeance is wrong, but I've also done a lot of thinking and soul-searching on this hunt."

"And what did you find?" Abigail eased between Ben and Abe, linking her arm with her husband's.

After a long moment, the brunette replied, "That losing my dad unhinged my mother a little and it affected the way she raised me."

"She did a lot of research into what happened when you and Mitch Wilkinson found Cibola," Carson added, wrapping his arm around her shoulders when she faltered.

Will took a step forward, blue eyes narrowed skeptically. "Why should we believe a word you're saying? You could be lying to us so you can kill us all once we find the treasure."

"Will!" Abigail scolded, surprised by her son's cynicism.

Abe looked at his mother, unusually serious. "He's right, Mom. We have no way of knowing if they're being truthful with us."

"We have no weapons with us," Carson informed them, holding up his hands. "Go ahead and frisk us if you want."

After a moment of hesitation, Will moved forward to frisk Carson while Emily Anne frisked Michelle. Neither found anything. Once they'd returned to stand with their family, Will asked, "So, aside from apologizing why are you here?"

"The letter from Queen Victoria to General Albert Pike wasn't the only treasure clue my father had in his possession," Michelle told them, blue eyes steady as she met their gazes one by one. "He also had a riddle that tells how we can find Yamashita's gold."

Ben and Abigail exchanged a quick glance before he responded, "That did you no good without a general idea of where the gold is."

"Exactly." Michelle nodded, smiling crookedly.

Abigail spoke up this time. "I'm guessing you won't tell us the riddle unless we promise to let you join us and give you credit?"

"I suppose I'm too much like my father in that respect," Michelle responded dryly.

Ben nodded. "Very well, you may come with us."

"Dad!" Will and Abe exclaimed at the same moment Emily Anne cried, "Uncle Ben!"

He turned to them, blue eyes steely and stern for once. "I am still in charge of this treasure hunt and I have the final say. I understand your concerns, but I honestly believe we can trust Michelle and Carson not to stab us in the back."

"Thank you, Dr. Gates." Michelle was sincere when he turned back to her.

Ben met her eyes steadily. "We need your help. That's the only reason I'm allowing this."

"I know." She nodded.

Will kept his eyes narrowed as he asked, "What's this riddle?"

"It was originally in Japanese," Michelle replied, digging a piece of paper out of her pocket. "I had it translated, but I understand Dr. Emily Anne Gates is one of the top language experts?"

Surprised that Michelle knew that much, Emily Anne slowly nodded. "I haven't studied Japanese very much yet, but I read it better than speak it."

"Perhaps you can translate it and see if the expert I consulted was correct." The other woman held out the paper.

After a moment of hesitation, Emily Anne accepted the paper and carefully studied it. "It looks like a haiku."

"A haiku?" Carson asked, tilting his head curiously.

Abe explained as Emily Anne withdrew a notebook and pen from her pocket, beginning to work out the translation. "It's a type of Japanese poem that, when translated into English, forms three lines with five, seven, and five syllables respectively. Usually, they're about nature, but that's convention more than anything else."

"In this case, it's about where to find the treasure." Michelle added as Emily Anne double-checked her findings.

Will glanced at his wife when she nodded and looked up. "Do you have it, Emily Anne?"

"I'm pretty sure I do, yes." She smiled faintly, reading through her translation one more time. Clearing her throat, she read, "_Illumination / Where dying day winds blow cold / Shows the golden way_."

After checking another paper she had, Michelle nodded. "Yes, that's the translation the expert I asked came up with."

"What does it mean?" Carson asked, hunching his shoulders as a gust of wind blew off the water, ruffling hair and clothing.

Michelle glanced at him, and then out towards the water, frowning in thought. "'Dying day' could refer to sunset." The others remained silent as she began to pace, muttering to herself. "Let's see: illumination...golden way... Something about sunset will reveal which way we need to go?"

Just as she said the last word, a beam from the setting sun cast a golden glow into the mouth of the catacombs. Exchanging glances, the seven of them eased forward to peer inside. The light shone directly into a particular cave mouth, illuminating a set of Japanese characters. Softly, Emily Anne murmured, "They spell 'treasure'."

"Well done, Mrs. Harper," Ben told her with a faint smile. "You solved the riddle."


	15. Treasuring Life

**Chapter 15**

**Treasuring Life**

"Good Lord…Could it really be so simple?" Emily muttered as she sat on the sofa in the living room, her blue-gray gaze glued to the wide bay window. "No wonder all those men couldn't find it…it took a woman…" She was leaning forward, her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand, oblivious to Patrick as he wandered into the room in his pajamas and his plaid bathrobe. Emily herself was wrapped in a soft white linen nightgown and a thick terrycloth robe with matching slippers.

"Emily?" Patrick yawned.

"They're so close, Patrick!" Emily said. "That Michelle woman has had a change of heart and she and her husband are trying to help Ben and Abigail and the kids."

"It's getting late," Patrick said softly. "Come to bed and we'll check on them in the morning."

"I couldn't possibly sleep," Emily replied hastily. "I'm far too nervous for them." Patrick sat down beside her on the sofa and gazed at the window as the treasure hunters flicked on flashlights and proceeded into the dark, wet entrance to the catacombs.

"There really isn't anything we can do to help them, Em," Patrick said gently.

"I know," Emily scoffed, "but I just can't help it. It's a mother thing." A smile slid across Patrick's face as he leaned back against the cushions of the sofa and smoothed his hand down her back.

"Then let's just close our eyes and rest for a while. The kids can't get into too much trouble if we just take a little nap," Patrick said, lowering his voice to a warm, drowsy purr. It worked—Emily's eyelids were beginning to droop. She finally leaned back into his arms and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. They shared a few short, sweet kisses before Emily yawned and Patrick took a deep breath. Minutes later, both were sound asleep as their family was travelling deeper and deeper into the damp, winding catacomb.

* * *

"Holy shit…" Will muttered softly, forgetting that his mother was following behind him. He shined his flashlight along the walls of the narrow passageway. "What happened down here?"

"Catacombs were build for multiple uses," Emily Anne explained. "They weren't just burial chambers. Most were used for worship rituals and places of sanctuary during times of war."

"Walking encyclopedia," Abe muttered with a grin. Will reached back and wound his right arm around his younger brother's neck, holding him in a headlock just tightly enough to hold him there playfully.

"That's my wife you're talking to," Will said as Abe laughed. Smiles spread to the others and Ben and Abigail shook their heads as Abe snorted, "Truce! Truce!" through his laughter and Will let him go. Both Will and Emily Anne gave the family a crooked grin over their shoulders as Will offered her his arm and they proceeded down the tunnel.

"I take it this happens often?" Carson asked Ben with an arched eyebrow.

" Less often now that all three of the kids are married," Ben replied.

"Three?" Michelle asked.

"Will is a twin. His sister flew home with her husband and his little brother after an accident on the highway," Abigail said. Michelle felt a stab of remorse—so it *had* been their family at that accident on the Marcos Highway. Michelle looked at Ben and Abigail again and asked the question anyway, though she wasn't sure she was ready to hear the answer.

"Were they hurt badly?" Michelle asked.

"Charlotte wasn't on the bike, but Abe was," Abigail replied, gesturing at her youngest child, "and thank God he wasn't hurt badly, but Meriwether broke a hip in the fall when he laid the bike over." Michelle nodded. She wasn't sure if Abigail would accept it if she said 'I'm sorry'. It was plain in the elder Mrs. Gates' expression that she, like her older son, still harbored some mistrust of her.

"Meri's mending pretty well so far, and he's in good spirits," Ben added, sensing the tension.

"That's good to hear," Michelle replied, smiling a bit.

"Who's buried here?" Abe asked, shining his flashlight on the various interred bodies lying still and silent in their resting places in the walls.

"If I had to guess, I'd say ancestors of the people in the area, as well as generations of the sisters who lived in the monastery above us," Ben replied.

"How much further do you think we'll need to go?" Abigail asked. "These tunnels could go on for miles."

"If you had several *billion* dollars in cash, gold, and gemstones, wouldn't you hide it as far out of sight as possible?" Will said. They came upon a wider space where the walls were smooth and swept up and over them in a graceful dome. On the other side of the room were several resting places set aside from the others. Emily Anne determined that they had been prominent members of the monastery as the others looked around at the miscellaneous religious relics and artifacts around them.

"This must be one of the worship areas that are still in use," Emily Anne said. "There's barely any dust on the floors or furniture."

"What could they possibly worship down here?" Michelle asked, righting an overturned chalice. As soon as she set it on the altar, there was a rumble that shook the floors for several seconds and Michelle and Emily Anne tripped as they backed away. The wall where the past monastic leaders had been laid to rest slowly moved further into the stone walls, the deafening sound of stone on stone making any words impossible as the treasure hunters watched in awe. The moving section of the wall now moved into a pocket inside the wall, revealing a pitch-black passage way that had been, until now, hidden from view.

"Oh my God…" Emily Anne muttered as Will offered her a hand to help her get up and Carson did the same for Michelle.

"This is new," Michelle said breathlessly, still shocked by what she had inadvertently done.

"Do you think that's where we're supposed to go?" Abe asked.

"Remember what Will said," Abigail replied, taking a step forward. "If you had billions of dollars to hide, you'd hide it as far away as possible." The other followed carefully as Abigail shakily pointed her flashlight into the passage. She flinched when Ben stepped up behind her and touched her arms, taking a breath in her hair and softly kissing the top of her head. Abigail nodded, steadied herself and the hunters were off again.

* * *

"I just had an awful feeling," Abe said half an hour later.

"What's wrong?" Abigail asked.

"Emily Anne said that the worship chamber we found was still in use," Abe said. "What if someone was here before us?"

"Wouldn't we know about it already? Surely someone would have notified the authorities and the media would have told the rest of the world," Will said.

"Not necessarily. Remember that guy from Hawaii who claimed he found it a few years ago? He was imprisoned and sued and all kinds of other stuff. A good swift beating would deter just about anyone from coming forward with that kind of treasure," Carson said.

"They beat him up?" Will asked.

"From the sounds of the court documents it was pretty nasty," Carson replied. Will whistled and shook his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, exactly," Carson said.

"We didn't see any evidence of anyone having been there in recent years," Michelle insisted evenly. "There were no footprints, nothing looked disturbed, the floor was intact…no one's been here lately except us, guys."

"She's right," Ben added. He pointed his flashlight at an opening in the passage ahead of them. "Look, the passage splits ahead of us."

"Which way?" Abigail asked.

"Honey? Any bright ideas?" Will asked, looking from one branch to the other.

"There aren't any indicating markings on the walls or floor," Michelle said. "Anyone coming to find the treasure would have to know which branch to take."

"We're screwed," Abe said, running his hand through his thick blonde curls.

"Maybe not," Emily Anne said, taking a few steps toward the right branch of the tunnel. She shone her flashlight on the decorative scrollwork on the stone walls and then quickly moved to the other side and looked on the walls there.

"What did you see?" asked Ben.

"The wall patterns are different," Emily Anne said. "The scrollwork changes from one tunnel to the other."

"We're still screwed if we can't tell which one's which," Abe said.

"I'd kill to be able to call Riley right now," Ben said. There was silence for a space of a couple of seconds while the treasure hunters wracked their minds for the information that would literally tip them in the right direction.

* * *

Emily stretched sleepily on the sofa and blinked her eyes open, making an effort to very gently ease herself out of Patrick's arms. She smiled at his peacefully sleeping face and the soft snoring sound he made and glanced at the window, where the intrepid team was completely stumped. Focusing her thoughts, Emily made the picture change and focus on what Ben could see, and she, too, noticed the difference of the patterns on the wall. The pattern on the left was more geometric. The one on the right featured flowers.

"Lilies…" Emily murmured. In the tunnel, Ben squinted at the patterns and said, "Hey, Emily Anne, those flowers…are they lilies?"

"They could be. What about it?" Emily Anne replied.

"I don't know…that just popped into my head," Ben said, mildly confused. Far away, Emily's eyes widened.

"In the early 1940's, Emperor Hirohito allegedly appointed his brother, Prince Yasuhito Chichibu to head a secret society dedicated to protecting the Yamashita hoard…it was called kin no yuri—The Golden Lily!" Patrick added, startling Emily.

"You gave me a start!" she sputtered.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Patrick cried. "I know more about this treasure than any of them do!"

"Ben has all of your research. There was no reason to wake you!" Emily replied.

"Did they figure it out?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know!" Emily cried. "We're too busy fighting about it!" Patrick and Emily each averted their eyes for a moment and then looked back at each other. Smiles spread across their faces before they started laughing and shared a hug and a kiss to make up for the ridiculous bickering that took their attention from their son and his family.

"What did you say?" Emily Anne said, taking a step closer to Ben.

"What?" Ben said, shaking his head and blinking as if he'd been daydreaming. Abigail was clutching his hand, her eyes wide as if he'd suddenly begun speaking in tongues. "What happened?"

"I just remembered something from dad's research on the treasure," Ben said. He walked to the walls and gestured to the flowers. "These *are* lilies. There was an alleged secret society to protect the treasure called…"

"The Golden Lily!" Michelle finished for him. "I found that allegation, too, but I thought that's all it was!"

"This way," Ben said, taking the lead and starting off down the tunnel with his family behind him.

Patrick and Emily couldn't believe what they had just seen. Both sat in wide-eyed shock on the sofa, sunrise streaming through the other windows in the room.

"Did he really hear us?" Emily whispered.

"It would seem that way," Patrick replied. Both were still staring as Ben led the others further underground.

"I thought we couldn't influence them," Emily said.

"So did I," Patrick said, sweeping his hair off his forehead with a shaking hand.

"I suddenly don't know what to say to them," Emily said, weakly. "Before, it was like talking to the television...you know that the characters can't hear you but you talk to them just the same…but now…"

"I know what you mean," Patrick said.

"Do you suppose we shouldn't interfere anymore?" Emily asked.

"Can *you* keep from interfering now that you know that they can hear you if you try hard enough?" Patrick asked.

"Well, of course I…well…no, I suppose I couldn't," Emily whimpered, lowering her head into her hands. "Oh, sweetheart, what are we going to do?"

"We'll keep doing what we're doing. If we can guide them when they get stuck, they'll get home faster and then we can stop worrying so much," Patrick said. Emily nodded slowly and swallowed.

"Yes," she said. "That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

"We have to be getting close to the treasure," Abe said after several minutes of silence.

"What makes you say that, Abe?" asked Abigail.

"Because I'm claustrophobic and it's getting way too close in here," Abe said, looking at the ground and swallowing hard. "If I can convince myself that we're almost there and we can turn around soon, I can convince myself to keep going."

"I think you're right," Emily Anne said, leaning closer to one wall to examine the markings again.

"The passage opens again up ahead," Ben said. When the family emerged into another gathering space, the tone of this area was completely different from the worship space they had seen before. This one was blatantly military in organization and the remains of military men garrisoned those who had gone to the next life long before they did.

"Damn…" Will breathed.

"Talk about the last full measure of devotion," Abe said, breathing a little easier now that they were in a wider room.

"Do you think there's another hidden passageway?" asked Carson.

"Possibly," said Michelle, wandering around the darkened space with careful steps. Will shined his light slowly across the ceiling and higher parts of the walls, noting the small ventilation holes drilled into the rock.

"This is a dead end," Abigail said. "There has to be another trap door leading some—" The other half of Abigail's sentence was cut off in shock as a wooden plank crumbled out from beneath her feet and Ben's, and the Gates' tumbled down the stone staircase that she had just inadvertently discovered as their family screamed. When the dust settled, Ben and Abigail were lying at the bottom of the stairs, heads tucked in tightly and arms locked around each other.

"Mom! Dad!" Will screamed. The beams of the flashlights glimmered down on them as Emily Anne and Abe charged down the stairs in front of him and Michelle and Carson followed. Slowly, Ben and Abigail unfolded themselves and were attempting to get up when the youngsters reached them.

"Are you guys okay?" Abe demanded.

"Take it slow! Take it slow!" Emily Anne demanded, offering her hands to Abigail as Will and Abe did the same for Ben.

"You're lucky you don't have a concussion!" Michelle said.

"Concussion my ass, they're lucky they're not dead," Will said, brushing dust and cobwebs off his father's jacket.

"We *are* still here, son," Ben said.

"And we can still hear you," Abigail added.

"Let's just get going," Carson said, effectively ending the spat.

"I think this is some sort of storage space," Michelle said, shining her flashlight around the room they had just found. Will took a lighter from his pocket and lit a torch he located on the wall, using it to light others as Emily Anne shone her flashlight on each one. Minutes later, the room was light enough to see further into the space, where what looked like hundreds of feet of space was crammed full of wooden crates, dilapidated cardboard cartons, and sundry objects covered over with burlap cloth. As the treasure hunters began to open some of the crates, the contents were disappointing.

"Weapons…uniforms…surplus radio parts…" Will said. "We couldn't have come all this way just to discover a warehouse." Abe pulled one of the burlap cloths away from the wall and the treasure hunters were suddenly blinded by the shimmer of solid gold in the form of statues and other decorative artifacts of both religious and secular significance.

"Oh my God," Abe said breathlessly, lightly fingering a three-foot high solid gold Buddha that stood directly in front of him. "What's in these other crates?" Will pried open the one on the other side of his brother and discovered that it was neatly stacked all the way to the top with ingots of gold bullion. Ben sat down on a crate and Abigail sank to the one beside him as they started to laugh.

"We did it…" Ben chuckled. "We really did it…"

"Your mom and dad would be so proud of you, honey," Abigail said, squeezing Ben's arm. Ben looked up for a moment, closed his eyes, smiled, and then opened them again to grin at Abigail.

"I know they are," Ben said, kissing Abigail's mouth as Carson and Michelle shared a relieved hug and Will swung a giggling Emily Anne in circles as he held her tight.

"How are we ever going to decide what to take with us?" Abe teased, looking at his family.

"We're not," Ben said.

"What?" said Michelle.

"We don't have permission from the Philippine authorities to move any of it and we certainly don't have permission yet to reveal the discovery to the media," Emily Anne said.

"How can we possibly prove that we found it if we don't have evidence?" Michelle demanded.

"We only have papers certifying us as treasure hunters, not giving us permission to remove artifacts," Ben insisted.

"Guys…" Abe said, taking a step back.

"Not now, Abe," Ben said, turning back to Michelle. A heavy sounding creak and a distant rumble were making Abe nervous and no one was listening.

"Guys, seriously," Abe said, swallowing and taking another step toward the stairs. The rushing, rumbling sound was getting closer. Will closed the distance between him and his younger brother and asked him what was wrong.

"Do you hear that?" Abe asked gravely.

From their place in Heaven, Patrick and Emily, having dressed and returned to the sofa, were on the edge of their seats, arms wrapped around each other as their family stumbled upon probably the greatest treasure in history. Now with Abe so nervous, Patrick was beginning to wonder what was going on. The answer struck Emily seconds later.

"The tide! The tide is coming in and it's pouring through the ventilation shafts!" she shouted. Abe echoed her a heartbeat later and still, the elder treasure hunters argued.

"That's not possible!" Ben insisted. "The catacombs are above the waterline!"

"The chamber isn't!" Abe shouted. There was a crack and bits of the rock wall started to crumble and the water that had been dripping in and running along the walls was suddenly spraying in from every direction.

"No!" screeched Emily Anne.

"RUN!" Will screamed, pushing her toward the stairs. The others followed instinctively, even reluctant Michelle. The walls that had been so stable before now started to crumble, the support beams and mortaring between seams in the walls falling and chunks of the rock itself tumbling around them as they found themselves ankle and then knee deep in water. They fought their way back to the pocket door that they had discovered in the worship space as Ben and Michelle led the team back up toward the light of the upper chamber.

Water was gushing up faster than they could outrun it, pushing them along as they ascended and then a fierce wall of water sloshed through the opening in the gathering space, forcing them to grab for nooks and crags in the rocks to hold on to as they pulled themselves along. Without warning, the pocket door started to slide shut and Michelle surged forward, more agile in the water than heavier Ben. She threw herself in the doorway and was just barely able to hold it until Ben rammed his weight against it, forcing it back into the pocket. The current was strong and the water was rising…their chances of escaping alive were rushing away with the churning waters.

"Get out of there!" Patrick shouted.

"Ben!" Emily shouted over the top of him, starting to cry in fright. "Oh, God!"

"Get…your family…out of here!" Michelle screamed in an effort to be heard over the wrathful sound of the surging water.

"Michelle!" Carson cried helplessly as Will pulled him along past the two former enemies.

"Not without you!" Ben screamed back,

"Come on! You're not helping her by making her worry about you!" Will shouted at Carson. Carson, in response, grabbed the front of his shirt and jacket in his seemingly small but powerful hands.

"If that was your Emily Anne, you wouldn't let anyone stop you from getting her out of here!" Carson shouted back, inches from Will's face. The water was still rising and Emily Anne squealed as she lost her footing and went tumbling into the churning foam, disappearing from sight and sound.

"EM!" Will screamed, letting go of Carson and diving beneath the waves despite his mother's pleading as she clung to one wall of the cavern. The entombed corpses were starting to float out of their alcoves and join the debris in encroaching ocean torrents. Abigail turned just in time to watch Ben and Michelle lose their footing and vanish under the surface.

"NO!" Abigail screamed, letting go of her hand-hold on the wall and wading into the current.

"Mom!" Abe shouted, grabbing onto her coat and pulling her toward the direction they had come. At that moment, Will surfaced with choking and sputtering Emily Anne in his arms and Carson had to help Abe hold Abigail back from jumping into the fray herself.

"Mom, don't!" Abe shouted over the din of the room.

"No! Ben! I won't!…BEN!" Abigail continued to scream, hyperventilating in the shock that she may very well have just lost her husband.

"BEN!" Patrick shouted.

"I can't watch!" Emily wept, clutching Patrick's sweater and hiding her eyes. "Oh, God, my baby!"

A second later, Ben surfaced, gasping for air and shaking his hair out of his eyes. When he got his footing and swung around, he was carrying unconscious Michelle in his arms.

"Run!" Ben screamed hoarsely. "Go!"

"He made it!" Patrick cheered, shaking Emily's shoulders so that she would look up.

"Oh, hurry! Hurry!" Emily cried, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.

When the treasure hunters arrived back at the entrance to the catacombs, it was nearly midnight, pitch dark, and the unstoppable tide had engulfed the beach. By the time the treasure hunters had made their way back up the roughly hewn steps that took them to the beach in the first place, they collapsed in the wild grass, soaking wet, weak, exhausted…and victorious.

"Come on, Michelle," Ben said, rolling her onto her side and firmly patting her back. Carson grabbed hold of her hand and rubbed his cheek against it, murmuring for her to wake up. Seconds later, Michelle gasped and coughed up the water in her lungs and she breathed harshly for a few moments as Carson yanked her off the ground and into his arms. Ben sat back, winding his arms around Abigail as she dragged herself into his embrace.

"This is *so* our last treasure hunt," she muttered.

"Yes, dear," Ben whimpered back, kissing the top of her head.


	16. Unexpected Treasure

**16. Unexpected Treasure**

When Jane tried to put Baby Mary down for her mid-morning nap, the little girl began fussing and crying. "What's wrong, ma petite?" Jane knew for a fact that her daughter had been fed, burped, and changed, so none of those could be the reason for her fussing. "Do you miss Papa? Is that it? I miss him, too." Cradling her daughter against her chest, Jane sat down in the rocking chair, hoping to soothe her back to sleep. It was close to noon by the time Mary abruptly stopped crying and promptly fell asleep. Jane stared at the peacefully-sleeping face that reminded her so much of her absent husband. "That was odd."

Shaking her head in puzzlement, Jane carefully set her daughter in her crib and quietly left the room. Just down the hall, Nadya was leaving the room she and Jacob shared with their granddaughter. "Oh, hi, Janie. Didn't you put Mary down for her nap an hour ago?"

"She didn't want to sleep," Jane explained as she and her aunt descended the stairs together. "It took this long just for her to get to sleep."

Nadya frowned at that. "I had the same trouble with Dani. I thought she might be missing Will and Emily Anne."

"I was thinking that Mary was missing Abe." Jane's voice hitched a little as she thought of her husband. She hadn't been sleeping well since Charlie and Meri had returned to DC. Somehow, they made her feel the absence of her own husband much more keenly.

She jumped when Nadya wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "She's not the only one missing him, I imagine."

"Yeah, and on top of that, I have this horrible feeling that Abe's in danger." Jane looked up to meet her aunt's eyes. "Do you think Michelle finally caught up with them?"

Pausing at the foot of the stairs, Nadya drew her niece into a comforting hug. "If she did, I'm sure Abe and the others took care of her without a problem."

"I'll feel better once I see for myself that Abe's okay," Jane muttered, resting her head on Nadya's shoulder with a sigh.

The older woman rubbed the younger woman's back soothingly. "I think we all will, but it's the dead of night over there right now. We can try to catch them tonight, before they head out on the treasure hunt again."

"Thanks, Aunt Nadya." Jane straightened up and kissed her aunt's cheek. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Nadya chuckled as they continued toward the kitchen. "That's part of my job as a mother."

"We were just about to send a search party for you two," Jacob quipped when they entered the kitchen. He was seated at the kitchen table with Riley and Jacqui "You missed lunch."

While Nadya went to her husband's side and kissed him softly, Jane stopped between her parents' chairs and kissed their cheeks in turn. "Both Mary and Dani refused to go down for their naps. We had to stay and soothe them."

"For an hour?" Riley glanced at his middle daughter skeptically. "There were times when _you_ didn't want to go down for a nap, but it never took more than fifteen minutes to soothe you."

Jacqui rolled her eyes as Jane moved to make herself a sandwich from the ingredients that waited on the counter. "Maybe for you, but there were times when it took me half an hour to soothe Janie enough for her to sleep."

"That's because she was Daddy's Girl." Riley had Jacqui's hand in his when Jane rejoined them at the table. "She'd always calm down for me."

As Nadya went over to the counter to make a sandwich, Jane answered her father's comment. "I think it was the same for Mary. I think she misses Abe."

"She's not the only one, I think," Jacob commented, eyeing his niece shrewdly.

Jane nodded, smiling sadly. "You're right. I miss him so much. I understand why Grandma Em would have left Grandpa Pat, though I don't think I could leave Abe at all."

"He wouldn't want you to leave him anyway," Riley pointed out, gently squeezing her hand with his free one.

Jane gave him a look that clearly said that extremely obvious and unnecessary to point out. After she finished eating, Jane excused herself to go upstairs and take a short nap herself. The four adults watched the younger woman disappear upstairs. Nadya turned to her husband once Jane was gone, "Did Rachael fuss at all?"

"No more than usual," Jacob replied, frowning with puzzlement.

Jacqui frowned as well. "It could just be coincidence that only Dani and Mary fussed."

"Not only that, but they apparently stopped at the same time," Riley added, resting his chin on his wife's shoulder.

Nadya frowned, leaning against her husband's shoulder. "You think they sensed that their parents were in danger?"

"It's just a theory," Jacqui admitted, exchanging a glance with her own husband. "If it wasn't that, though, why did Mary and Dani fuss, but not Rachael?"

Slowly, the others nodded and Jacob responded to his twin's question, "That's a good question and one I don't have an answer for."

"I don't think any of us do."

* * *

Since it was so late by the time the treasure hunters got back to their hotel, no one was around to raise an eyebrow at their bedraggled state except the night clerk. Emily Anne offered him a wry smile, "Amerikano."

The clerk nodded and didn't object as they filed onto an elevator together. All three women leaned wearily against their husbands as the elevator carried them upwards, with Ben wrapping an arm around Abe's shoulders. "I'm sorry we didn't listen to you earlier, Abe."

"What do you mean?" He glanced up at his father, puzzled. In all honesty, he'd completely forgotten that he'd tried to warn the others about the impending danger.

"You tried to warn us about the tide coming in and we didn't listen," Ben reminded his son, hugging him gently. "We almost lost Emily Anne and Michelle because of it."

Abigail clung more tightly to her husband. "And you, Ben."

"And me," he corrected himself with a wry smile.

Carson reached over from where he and Michelle stood huddled together, squeezing Ben's arm. "Thank you."

"I had the opportunity to save her," Ben replied, catching Michelle's eyes with his. "I wasn't going to let it pass by."

Michelle nodded as the elevator came to a stop. Without another word, she and Carson stepped from the elevator. The door slid closed and the other five continued on to their floor. "What's our next step, Dad?"

"We're all going to go to bed and get plenty of sleep," Ben answered his older son. "Then, I'm going to contact Bradford and tell him that we've found the treasure."

Will exchanged a glance with his brother. "You're not going to contact the Filipino authorities?"

"Only if Bradford gives me the authority to do so," Ben replied as the elevator stopped and they all trooped off.

Emily Anne gave an exasperated sigh as they walked down the hall to their suite of rooms. "And _he's_ going to ask for Michelle's input before he says yes or no because _she's_ the reason he contacted you in the first place."

"I know, but we _have_ to follow the red tape," he explained for all of their benefit as he unlocked the door, gesturing for them to precede him into the room. "If we don't, they could put us in jail."

All of them stopped to consider that as Ben followed them inside and closed the door behind him. Abigail was the first to break the silence, wrapping her arms around him. "I'll follow your lead, Ben. You've yet to lead me wrong in all the years I've known you."

"Thanks, Abigail." He smiled and kissed her softly.

The others quickly followed their matriarch's lead, promising to do as Ben told them. He nodded, accepting their promises. "Okay. Let's all go to bed and get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to need it."

* * *

"Aloha, Dr. Bradford," Ben greeted the museum curator the following morning. He and Abigail had gone to bed and slept hard and now he felt very rested and energized.

Bradford smiled brightly when he recognized Ben. "Aloha, Dr. Gates! It's good to hear from you. I was beginning to worry that Mr. Poole wasn't able to find you."

"Obviously, he did." Ben grinned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm afraid I was incommunicado for some time, though I do have good news that will hopefully make up for the worry I caused."

The crystal blue eyes sharpened and Bradford actually leaned forward in his chair, causing it to squeak in protest. "Do you, indeed?"

"Yes." Ben nodded, reaching his hand out to Abigail, who moved to stand behind him. As she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, he continued his explanation. "We found the Yamashita treasure. It really does exist."

Bradford's eyes widened and he stared at Ben, quite amazed. "It really does?"

"Indeed it does," Abigail replied, kissing her husband's cheek. "With your permission, we'd like to contact the local authorities about removing it from its current hiding place and returning it to the people it was taken from."

The museum curator looked distinctly uncomfortable as he sat back in his chair, which squeaked once again. "I will have to ask the investor who requested that you search for the treasure in the first place. It should really be their call."

"We understand," Ben replied, smiling reassuringly. "We're not going anywhere for the rest of the day."

Looking quite relieved, Bradford nodded. "I will get back to you as soon as I can, Dr. Gates."

"Thank you, Dr. Bradford. Aloha." Ben was still smiling.

"Aloha." The next moment, the screen was dark as the museum curator disconnected the call.

Before anyone could speak, the laptop beeped insistently. Frowning, Ben hit the button to connect with whoever was calling. "About damn time, Ben!"

"It's good to see you, too, Riley." Ben raised an eyebrow, glancing up as the others gathered around him.

Riley wasn't the only one on the screen. Jacqui and Jane stood at his shoulders, the latter peering worriedly at the screen. Abigail pre-empted Riley's response by asking, "Is everything okay over there, Riley?"

"We're fine." Riley assured her. "We were just wondering how the treasure hunt was going for you guys. Have you gotten any closer to finding it?"

Ben grinned, blue eyes twinkling. "So close that we found it."

"Seriously?" Jane's eyes grew wide. "When?"

Abe leaned over his parents' shoulders to address his wife directly. "A little before midnight last night, so that would have been about mid-morning for you guys."

Jacqui and Jane exchanged glances over Riley's head and Ben frowned. Something about their expressions didn't seem quite right. "Did something happen about that time for you guys?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Ben," Riley answered quickly as his wife and daughter stepped out of view of the webcam. "What are you going to do now that you've found the treasure?"

"I just talked to Bradford about contacting the local authorities to allow us to recover the treasure and deliver it to the countries it was taken from."

Riley snorted derisively as Will, Emily Anne, and Abe moved away. "That'll take awhile, since he has to contact Michelle and get her permission first."

"I don't think that'll be a problem, considering she was with us when we found the treasure?" Ben kept his voice airy, but he watched Riley's reaction closely.

It was gratifyingly quick and dramatic and accompanied by the return of Jacqui and Jane as well, both women staring at the screen over Riley's shoulder. "WHAT?!"

"Well, suffice it to say that she's had a change of heart, no doubt thanks in part to her husband," Ben sat back in his chair with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Abigail dragged a chair over so she could sit beside her husband. "It turns out that she had a clue to help us figure out where we needed to go, so she went with us."

"Wilkinson all over again," Jacqui muttered, shaking her head a little.

Ben shook his head determinedly. "No one was left behind this time."

"I hope allowing her to help doesn't turn out to be the wrong decision, Ben." Riley looked unusually somber and serious as he said it.

Meeting his best friend's eyes steadily and calmly, Ben replied, "I'm sure it's the right decision."

* * *

"I'm fine, Car! How many times do I have to tell you?" Michelle protested loudly as her husband dragged her out of bed far too early for her liking. "It was just a little water."

Carson didn't listen as he bundled his wife into their rented car. "I'd rather not take any chances, Chelle. Besides, we don't want any complications to develop."

"You're over-reacting." She folded her arms across her chest, looking distinctly put-out.

He shook his head, driving them to the local hospital. "Not when it comes to your health."

"Fine, if it makes you happy, I'll let the doctor look at me." Michelle threw her hands up in defeat and remained quiet for the rest of the drive to the hospital.

Upon reaching the hospital, they were ushered into an exam room right away. At an inquiring look from his wife, Carson explained, "I already called and made an appointment."

"If I didn't love you so much..." Her voice trailed off, but the implied threat didn't have any hold over him because he knew she'd never follow through on it. She loved him too much.

The doctor was a capable, sensible man, dark eyes partly hidden by his spectacles. His skin was distinctly lighter than the natives they'd met, though his thick hair was just as black. After a brief but thorough examination, he sat back. "I can assure you both that Mrs. Harper is perfectly healthy, though I'd like your permission to run a few tests on her baby, just to make sure he is fine and healthy."

"Baby?" Husband and wife stared at the doctor in shock.

He nodded, frowning at them. "Yes, he's about two months along." He looked from one to the other, taking in their expressions. "I take it you had no idea?"

"She hasn't been throwing up in the mornings like most pregnant women do," Carson explained as Michelle remained silent, resting her hand on the very slight bulge of her stomach. "We thought she was just gaining weight."

"Well, technically, she is, but it's due to the baby," the doctor replied. "May I do the tests?"

Carson glanced at his wife. She met his gaze and slowly nodded. He smiled and turned back to the doctor. "Yes, please do."


	17. Treasured Memories

Chapter 17

Treasured Memories

"Where are they?" Charlotte demanded as she paced back and forth at the airport. "The plane should have been here an hour ago." Charlotte was wearing a hole in the blue-gray commercial carpeting as Meri stood by on his crutches, their daughter, Rachael in a carrier strapped to his chest.

"Patience, child," Jacqui teased. Jane rolled her eyes, holding baby Mary against her shoulder and smiling. She was just relieved that the returning team was bringing her husband home with them. The whole family was there this afternoon, standing in the semi-quiet airport and waiting for the connecting flight from Chicago that would bring their weary family members home.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous, that's all. I was there with them and I know that they're all right and they're on their way home, but I'm just…"

"Your mother's daughter?" said a familiar voice.

"Mom!" Charlotte cried, turning and throwing her arms around Abigail.

"Do I get a hug, too?" Ben teased. Charlotte smiled broadly as she embraced her father as well and then nearly knocked over her little brother, Abe.

"Jeez…I'm all right, Charlie," Abe laughed as he hugged her. "But I won't be if you keep that up!" The rest of the family moved forward as the exhausted treasure hunters shuffled into their loved ones' arms. Abe looked over his sister's head this way and that until he spotted Jane and the youngest Gates' edged out from around their families to get to one another. Abe didn't wait to say hello, or even wait for Jane to hand the baby to someone else, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with every ounce of how much he missed her.

"Oh my God, you are such a sight for sore eyes," he murmured, kissing her again.

"I missed you so much!" Jane said, leaning into his kisses and the familiar warmth of his embrace.

"Come to daddy," Abe said, happily scooping Mary out of Jane's arms and cuddling her close. He lightly kissed her delicate head over and over as he let relief wash away the tension of the past two weeks. After a few moments holding her, he noticed that she lifted her little head away from his shoulder by herself.

"Is she holding her head up?" Abe asked Jane incredulously.

"She's getting stronger," Jane said, stroking the baby's back.

"I love you so much," Abe said, kissing Jane again as she wrapped her arms around him. Nearby, Will and Emily Anne spotted Jacob and Nadya, accompanied by Maggie and Jamie. Nadya smiled as Emily Anne reached for the pink swaddled bundle in her arms.

"My baby!" Emily Anne cooed as she held Dani close. "There's mama's little cookie!"

"I think she got bigger," Will teased, his arm around Emily Anne's shoulders as he stroked his daughter's head.

"She did get bigger," Nadya teased. Emily Anne kissed Dani's round baby cheeks one more time before surrendering her to her father so that Emily Anne herself could greet her family. Once hugs and kisses were distributed to the returning heroes, the trek back through the airport looked like some celebrity had arrived. It was a flurry of luggage, chatter, hugs and kisses, and the drone of noise tapered off as the Gates', Pooles, and Bonners piled into the veritable fleet of cars that they arrived in, and started the journey home.

Two hours later, each family had returned to their own home, including Ben and Abigail's children, and they were met quite suddenly with a profound silence.

"I wonder how long it took them to clean the place up," Abigail mused.

"What makes you say that?" Ben asked, a crooked grin developing on his face.

"All of those people, for two weeks, in our house. Three of them were infants and Riley and Meri were both in a medical condition. I'd be surprised if there's even food left in the house," Abigail said, wandering into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. It would be dinner time soon, and she was getting hungry despite the jet lag. She stood back in obvious shock as Ben entered the kitchen, too.

"Well?" he said with a smile.

"Someone went shopping," she declared.

"Our friends know better than to clean us out," Ben teased, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"Yes," Abigail said with a grin. "Yes, they do…" Ben tilted his head at Abigail's tone.

"Something tells me you're not hungry anymore," Ben said with a crooked smile.

"We have our own bed to sleep in and we're home alone, Ben," Abigail said, leaning into his chest. Ben shut the refrigerator behind her and they stood for a moment before each stretched to meet the other's lips in a long, tender kiss.

"It's good to be home," Ben murmured against her mouth.

"Mmm…it's about to get better," Abigail teased.

* * *

One month later…

"This should be the last of it," Will said, setting the box he was carrying down next to the one Abe had just set on the floor.

"I can't believe they're giving you the estate," Abe said to his brother in awe.

"They aren't giving it to us per say," Will said. "I told you, they're selling us the estate, but they're only making us pay what they paid for it, which is a crazy good deal."

"Lots of room for little Dani to run then," Abe said with a smile.

"Lots of room for Uncle Abe and Aunt Janie to come visit and bring Mary Em to play with her," Will added.

"Okay, okay, I'm done being jealous," Abe laughed.

"Nothing's stopping you guys from finding a little country estate of your own, you know," Charlotte said, crossing between them with a short stack of pizza boxes.

"Exactly. What good is all that reward money if you aren't going to spend any of it?" Meri said, settling baby Rachael into a high chair.

"You mean to tell me you guys are getting an estate, too?" Jane said, entering the conversation with Mary Emily in her arms.

"Charlie wanted Monticello, but I convinced her that it was a little ostentatious," Meri teased.

"That's enough," Ben said good naturedly, digging glasses and plates out of a box in the kitchen. "Dinner time."

"Don't have to tell us twice," Abe said, sitting down at the familiar dining room table. The day had been spent in manual labor, lugging boxes as the families shifted homes: Ben and Abigail, eager to downsize from a home they felt was now too big for them to manage, offered their estate to Will and Emily Anne, who eagerly took them up on their offer while the elder Gates' set their sights on the cherished Gates family home that both Ben and Grandpa Patrick before him had been raised in. Not long before, Ben and Abigail had announced their impending retirement, and declared that this search for the missing Yamashita hoard had been their last, though all three of their children knew that retirement didn't keep their grandparents down, and there was bound to be another—someday.

The youngsters and their spouses, along with the Pooles and Bonners, smiled, waved, and called, "Goodbye!" two hours later, each family moving toward their respective vehicles, leaving Ben and Abigail to settle in for their first night in Patrick and Emily's former home.

"You know," Will said as he pressed the button to make the doors on his SUV unlock, "I heard that during the early part of the 20th century, stage coach robbers hid millions in gold in the small towns along midwest and that Wells Fargo, the biggest bank of the time, was never able to recover the stolen money because they could never find it…" Abe and Meri stopped where they were and Cris joined them.

"No," Emily Anne said after she had strapped Dani into her car seat.

"How much money?" Cris asked.

"Did someone say stolen money?" Jamie said, wandering over to join the conversation.

* * *

THE END


End file.
